Metropolitan Pavel: I got a waiver from Lukashenka over Belarus passport

The head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Pavel has told a Euroradio correspondent in parliament today that he will not become a Belarusian citizen.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has allowed him not to become a Belarusian citizen because it is not required for a Russian, he explained.

When the Belarus President met with the synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church on September 22, he announced that the priests had to be the citizens of Belarus. Metropolitan Pavel is the first ever person in the Belarusian Orthodox Church appointed by the Russian Orthodox Church. He must become a Belarusian citizen according to the Law on the Freedom of Conscience in Religious Organizations.

Pavel was appointed to serve in Belarus on December 25, 2013. In early 2014, he said he wanted to become a Belarusian citizen.