Bishop Sipovich new file

7 was summoned to the Vatican Nunciature in Warsaw, where the proposal of going to Harbin was renewed. He was given a few months to settle his affairs, and in August 1928 was on his way to China. Incidentally it was generally assumed that Abrantovich, as head of the only Catholic "Ordinariat" (i.e. diocese) for Russians, would become a bishop. Instead, he received the grand but meaningless title of archimandrite, a kind of honorary abbot. When two years later Buchys became a bishop, the event did not pass unnoticed among Belarusians. Father Adam Stankievich wrote on 15 July 1930 to Father Uladyslau Talochka: "It would be interesting to know what Buchys will do now. Abrantovich probably did not suspect that he had a rival in his (i.e. Buchyss A.N. ) person". And he sums up the whole affair with a Russian proverb, which may be roughly translated as: "They gave me away in marriage without my knowing it; I was not even present". At the end of 1927 there were seven priests in Druia, of whom one, Francis Charniauski, was still a novice. As soon as the news of Abrantovichs appointment to Harbin became known, he left Druia, not wishing, as he explained later, to finish up there too. In 1929 two clerics from Druia were sent to the newly opened Russian College in Rome, and three more in the following year. They were destined for work among Russians, but Druia was obliged to pay for their education. Thus Harbin became a heavy burden for Druia, preventing it from developing work among Belarusians. What had happened was exactly what Tsikota feared when he wrote on 28 July 1928 to Abrantovich: "If there (i.e. in Harbin A.N .) must be a Marian establishment supported by Druia and that is what the Poles think, for I cannot understand otherwise the words spoken to me by His Excellency the Archbishop of Vilna (i.e. Jalbrzykowski A.N. ), Offer yourselves for the conversion of Russia, then I think that we are not obliged to make such a sacrifice, and God does not require it from us". Tsikotas suspicions that the Poles were among those responsible for sending Abrantovich away to Harbin, was indirectly confirmed by Buchys who in his letter of 18 April 1929 to the latter wrote: "Among the discontented was one who wished to send the Dear Father (i.e. Abrantovich A.N. ) as far as possible from Druia, and for this reason he supported your candidature". It is not fanciful to suppose that the "discontented one" was none other than Archbishop Jalbrzykowski. The Poles had little sympathy with the aims and methods of the Commission "Pro Russia". However, Harbin presented them with an opportunity to remove some troublesome Belarusian priests who might prove an obstacle to their policy of poloning Belarusian Catholics. The Commission "Pro Russia" itself had no interest in, or understanding of, the particular spiritual needs of Belarusians, and regarded them only as useful tools for the "conversion" of Russia. This was felt by many Belarusian priests who were concerned about the religious state of their people. One of them, Kazimier Kulak, wrote on 15 December 1931 to Buchys: "For the Union action to succeed it is essential that those who are supposed to benefit from this action, i.e. Belarusians and Ukrainians, had confidence in it. In the meantime this confidence is diminishing every day, and not because of the fear of polonisation and latinisation on the part of the Poles, but of russification from... Rome!... A group of well known Belarusian priests 5 or 7 persons were thinking of adopting the Eastern rite, joining one of the religious congregations Basilians or Marians, and starting together the work for the Union in our country. However, if there is no action Pro Alborussia, but only Pro Russia, then why bother? To be sent to convert the Chinese, while our own people are perishing under the onslaught of sects and atheism?" Ironically, early in December 1927 the Druia Fathers were ready to start work in the Byzantine rite with the view of restoring the Greek-Catholic Church in Belarus.