Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow Sept. 26, 2025. (OSV news/Ramil Sitdikov, Reuters)
Two Catholic priests long considered political prisoners in Belarus were freed 20 November, a move church leaders are linking to an October visit from Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Pope Leo XIV’s envoy and a former nuncio to the country.
Oblate Father Andrzej Juchniewicz and Father Henrykh Akalatovich had been serving harsh sentences handed down earlier in 2025 on charges widely dismissed as political.
Belarus’ bishops said the release came after President Alexander Lukashenko granted a pardon “as an expression of mercy and respect for the Pope.”
Cardinal Gugerotti called the moment an example of what dialogue can achieve. Belarusian journalist Ruslan Szoszyn told OSV News the release is a real victory for the church – but likely came at a hidden cost, and many Catholics remain in prison.
Among the most prominent are Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and Sakharov Prize winner Andrzej Poczobut, whose release observers say is far less likely.
“I don’t think Lukashenko will decide to release key political prisoners,” Szoszyn said.
“These people are considered a threat to his regime, but he also considers them his most valuable commodity when it comes to his trade with the West,” because Lukashenko uses political prisoners to “to lift sanctions, to ease restrictions,” imposed on his country.