Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches in the Vatican in Minsk on 27 October, BelTA has learned.
“I am familiar with the details of your visit. I am very glad that you remember Belarus and that you like our country, our people. All of them. Not only Catholics, Orthodox, but others as well. Even Muslims very warmly received your visit. This shows that you have left a meaningful mark on Belarus during your tenure,” the head of state said.
Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti is visiting Belarus as special envoy of Pope Leo XIV for the 100th anniversary of the Pinsk Diocese. It was founded on 25 October 1925, and is now one of the four Catholic dioceses in Belarus, encompassing the territories of Brest Oblast and Gomel Oblast.
Claudio Gugerotti served as the Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus from 2011 to 2015.
