Bishop Sipovich new file

26 many languages, one could also hear Belarusian ‘Long live the Holy Father’". It is not difficult to guess whose voice it was. Again, writing about the Byzantine liturgy at St. Peter’s Basilica on 21 May to mark the 950 years of baptism of "Rus" he explained that Father Abrantovich, who was expected from Harbin, did not make it in time, and that is why there was no Belarusian present among the concelebrants 24 . In fact Abrantovich was expected to take part not as representative of Belarus, but in his capacity as head of the Russian "Ordinariat" in Manchuria. The sad fact was that the church authorities in Rome at that time ignored Belarus and Belarusians. Thus at the Pontifical Gregorian University Sipovich was registered simply as "Russian". Among his paper there is a copy of his letter in Latin, dated 14 January 1941, to the secretary of the University, in which he wrote: "Following the appeal to send corrections of mistakes with regard to names etc. in the register of students, which somehow might have crept in, I take the liberty of asking the Secretariat why it is that already for the third time (because it happened twice in previous years), instead of Belarusian nationality, to which I belong, I am described as Russian? I presume this has happened by mistake; however if there are some reasons for this, I would like to know them without delay". 25 On the next day he received the following reply in Italian, signed by the Secretary of the University: "The reason why Y(our) R(everence) is registered as ‘Russian’ is the simple fact that there is no political state ‘Belarus’ but only Russia, and we compile our registers not according to race but according to the political state. In the same way e.g. the Scots are registered as English". 26 The "explanation" does not give much credit to the intelligence of the secretary or, indeed, the venerable institution he represented. At the time in question Russia was no more independent than Belarus: both countries formed part of the Soviet Union. Thus, if one followed the rules set out in the secretary’s letter, one could talk about Soviet and not Russian nationality. As far as Sipovich was concerned, he had never been even near Russia, left Western Belarus one year before it was occupied by the Soviet Union, and travelled to Italy on a Polish passport, issued to him by those who expelled him from his native country for being Belarusian. So what nationality did it make him? As for a Scotsman to be called English, one would like to meet the brave person who would dare to do this. The thought of Belarus seemed never to have been absent from the mind of Sipovich. Thus on Good Friday 11 April 1941 he makes the following entry in the "Chronicle": "Part of us (i.e. Marians) go to venerate the Holy Cross, and another part to the Lateran Basilica where a beautifully sad service took place. It must be said that the present writer did not see in it anything different from what on the same day was taking place in the Druia church (Belarus). Of course there were no numerous canons and prelates present..." 24 Ibid. 25 "Sequendo hortationem ad tabulam evidentem ad corrigenda menda, quae aliquo modo relate ad nomina etc. studentium intrusa sint, ausus sum rogare P. T. Secretariam, cur iam ter (quia iam bis annis labentibus accidit) mihi loco nationis Alborussicae ad quam pertino, Russica apponitur? Puto hoc accidisse per mendum; si fortasse adessent aliquae rationes, sin minus de eis scire voluissem". 26 "La ragione perché V. R. si trova registrato come "Russo" é ´il semplice fatto che non esiste uno stato politico ‘Albarussia’ ma soltanto Russia e noi facciamo i nostri registri non riguardo all razza ma allo stato politico. Cosí anche i Scozzesi p.e. sono registrati come Inglesi".