On the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Greek Catholics of Belarus prayed for Pope Benedict XVI. On the day of the liturgical memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius, on 11 May, the priests and seminarians of the Belarussian Greek-Catholic Church participated in the “Day of Prayer” for the new pope Benedict XVI. The meeting, presided over by the Apostolic Visitator for the Greek Catholics in Belarus, Archimandrite Sergius Gajek, was held at Baranavichy; the participants included the secretary of the apostolic Nunciature in Minsk, Msgr. Henryk Jagodzinski. The Day of Prayer ended with a celebration in which the local parish community also took part. In his homily Msgr. Henryk Jagodzinski said: “With our prayers today we embrace our Holy Father Benedict XVI, whose patron St. Benedict, together with Saints Cyril and Methodius, symbolise the unity of Christian Europe. Through the centuries the Christian faith has been the soil in which literature, art and culture as a whole grew. Today, too, efforts must continue to ensure that Gospel and culture once again go forward together”. The Greek-Catholic faithful of Belarus, traditionally attached to the culture and language of their own country, welcomed these words with gratitude. After the homily, the Secretary of the Nunciature, on behalf of the Apostolic Nuncio in Belarus, Msgr. Martin Vidovic, handed over to protopresbyter Viktar Danilau of Grodna the cross “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice”, with which John Paul II in March honoured the priest and former detainee in Soviet forced labour camps. During the liturgy, on the fortieth day since the death of John Paul II, a special commemoration was made of the pontiff, according to the Byzantine liturgical tradition.
