The evening of November 19 at the "European club" had a meeting with the co-chairman of the organizing committee of the party "Belarusian Christian Democracy" Pavel Sevyarynets, and the authors of the "Belarusian Christian alphabet", which was first presented in Viciebsk.
Traditionally Christian Democrats, which for a hundred years, the meeting began with a joint prayer "Our Father". Then Mr. Paul told the audience about the history of Christian democracy in Belarus, which, as he said, in the whole world for two thousand years since it began from the time of Jesus Christ, who brought the people Christian principles and freedom.
He noted that in Belarus this ideology about a thousand years. During the time of the advent of Christianity in our lands, there has been the beginning of democracy and self-government (the Chamber). Gossip, they have formed the country the most natural and viable ideology, which combines Christian principles with democracy and freedom. This combination distinguishes Russia from Belarus, where strong Christian Democratic parties never had.
In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Christian Democracy in general flourished. Freedom combined with Christian principles to bear fruit. More than 60 cities, inclusive with Viciebsk, had Magdeburg law. In many places, the principality was the annual rotation of mayors, who in turn put forward from the Orthodox, Catholic, and sometimes the Protestant community. Peace and harmony reigned in the country that gave the world the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Skarina dozens of personalities that influenced the development of the neighboring countries.
"When Belarus was a Christian, and when it was free, then she was strong. As soon as she was losing faith, she was ruined, and its statehood collapsed. Times in the Russian and Soviet empires were the decline of times", – Pavel Sevyarynets said.
About one hundred and fifteen years ago, the idea of Christian democracy started to be implemented in its current form, in the form of a political party. Prior to this role of the political parties played Franciscans, Orthodox brotherhoods, Basilian monks... They took their seats in the government, they fought for access to the Royal and the Grand Chancellery.
In Belarus, the first in the modern sense of the political party of Christian character was created in 1906. It was called Constitutional Catholic Party of Lithuania and Belarus. Together with others (Regional Party of Lithuania and White Ruthenia) it spent the first Russian State Duma deputies seventeen. It was a great success, but the Duma and the king broke up the party was able to rise again, as opposed to this Russian chauvinist forces. But in 1917, a new party – the Belarusian Christian Democratic Unity, which became the most successful Belarusian political party of Western Belarus and was later renamed in the BCD.
Party created about thirty priests, the Belarusians, who studied in St. Petersburg. The fate of many of its members was rather tortuous and difficult. So, out of fifty leaders of the party of fifteen were destroyed by the Gestapo, more than thirty have been tortured in the gulag.
In the interwar period, the BCD was the most successful Belarusian party. It was the only Belarusian party, the number of which grew constantly. And this popularity is due to its particular position via Belarusian Polish population. It was the power that feared and the Polish authorities and the Soviet Bolsheviks. It was a right-centrist party, which built a life, but the Nazis and Stalinists destroyed it to the ground.
Next Pavel Sevyarynets told about the individual members of the party, who defended their ideas and interests of Belarusians up to sacrifice their own lives. Made Catholic priests Vincent Godlevsky, Joseph Baradyul, Adam Stankevich, Yuri Kashira, doctor Bronislaw Turyonok, agronomist Adam Vasiukevich impresses and inspires imitation. All of them will be included in the book "One Hundred BCD personalities", which is being prepared for publication. All 2017 is planned to be a jubilee year for the BCD. On the ground, are the organizing committee for the celebration of the centenary. The aim is to restore the memory of the people who have done so much good for Belarus. Somewhere supposed to establish crosses somewhere worship services somewhere Organization evenings somewhere renaming streets... Along the way, it is planned to talk about the contemporary Christian democracy and its future development.
After the main part of the present Pavel Sevyarynets were asked questions about the current socio-political situation in Belarus and in neighboring Ukraine. Interested in attending and reasons that for several years the BCD is not registered as a party.
The second part of the meeting was devoted to the first edition of the "Belarusian Christian alphabet." She represented a father of the politician Konstantin Sevyarynets. He noted that next year could be called and the "Year of the Belarusian Christian ABC", as in a certain sense, the authors continue the work begun five hundred years ago, Francis Skaryna.
As said Mr. Konstantin, alphabet originated from the family Bible readings. The generator of ideas became the wife of Pavel Sevyarynets Olga, which offered to write Christian alphabet. However, were chosen good, kind words – "angel", "Bible", "dear", "Ark"... It said the drawings done eighteen Minsk artist Alexander Dezhyts and Mr. Konstantin wrote poems, some of which he read with pleasure.
On the history of edition and the obstacles that have arisen on the path to the realization of the idea, said Olga Sevyarynets. The money for the publication of the book was collected on a crowdsourcing platform "Talaka.By" there which was not immediately apparent, as its leaders first considered that the book carries a religious propaganda. But in the end all was resolved positively – managed to collect one hundred percent of the necessary funds. Moreover, a precedent has opened the way for other good projects of this kind.
At the end of the investigative meeting we had the opportunity to purchase "The Belarusian Christian ABC" and books written earlier Pavel Sevyarynets.
