Elsner, Regina (2021) Churches and Protest in Belarus: Activism or Liberation Theology. ZOiS Spotlight, 2.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
The churches in Belarus were rarely visible at political protests in the past – but this changed abruptly in 2020. Both before and after the presidential election in August, a number of church representatives adopted a critical stance on the country’s politics – a remarkable development in several respects. Belarus is less religious than other post-Soviet countries. Although the majority of the population self-identifies as Orthodox, the Belarusian Orthodox Church has less cultural significance and less lobbying power than its Russian and Ukrainian counterparts. The Roman Catholic Church – the second largest faith community – has a fairly high public profile, but does not aspire to represent national identity in the same way as the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, for example. Protestant congregations and other faith communities are very much in the minority. Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s authoritarian government guarantees freedom of religion, but this is conditional on loyalty and non-involvement in politics. Unsurprisingly, then, none of the faith communities drew attention to themselves by actively participating in, or speaking out about, previous political protests.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | political theology, liberation theology, international solidarity, church and society |
| Subjects: | B Mission theology/theory > Social Justice/Mission as Justice and transformation B Mission theology/theory > Public Theology G Christian traditions/Denominations > Eastern Orthodox G Christian traditions/Denominations > Baptist |
| Divisions: | Former Soviet Union > Belarus |
| Depositing User: | Katharina Penner |
| Date Deposited: | 24 May 2024 16:54 |
| Last Modified: | 24 May 2024 16:54 |
| URI: | https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/2972 |
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