Bishop Sipovich new file

34 into Belarusian. Moreover he argued that, taking into account the changed historical circumstances, the term "Rutheni" in the encyclical should be translated as "Belarusians and Ukrainians". The church authorities hesitated at first but finally agreed with Father Haroshka’s arguments. This was a small but significant victory. There were several Belarusian priests and students before Father Haroshka in Rome, but not one of them had made any effort to get the Church authorities to recognise Belarus as a separate nation with its own particular needs and aspirations. It was Father Haroshka who put Belarus firmly on the ecclesiastical map. Father Sipovich had for seven years been cut off from anything Belarusian, and for him the arrival of two priests of a different background, with no connection with Druia or Vilna, and fresh from pastoral work among Belarusians, must have been a revelation. It added a new dimension to his understanding of the Belarusian problem both in its ecclesiastical and national aspects. However his first impression of them was rather curious. During his annual retreat on 20-28 September 1945 he made the following resolutions: "Prudently maintain contacts for the good of the Belarusian cause, especially for the good of the Holy Church in Belarus. Be tactful and careful with Fr P(eter) T(atarynovich) who has many talents from God, but is no longer young, lacks courage and initiative. Be cautious in relations with Poles, and try to involve gradually (in work) Fr L(eo) H(aroshka)". As it happened, Father Haroshka was "involved" from the very beginning and had no need of prompting or encouraging from anybody. The same could be said about Father Tatarynovich who, despite his 49 years and more than twenty years interval since he left the seminary, had had the courage to resume the studies. When he arrived in Rome, he was seriously ill and did much of his writing lying in bed. While working on his doctoral thesis he found time to translate into Belarusian Henryk Sienkiewicz’s famous novel Quo vadis (finished in 1947, but published only in 1956), and to prepare a new edition of the prayer book for the faithful of the Roman rite Holas dushy (Voice of the soul), published early in 1949. In 1950 Father Tatarynovich started a religious journal Znic (The Torch) which he edited single-handedly for the next quarter of a century. Also in 1950 thanks to his efforts the Vatican Radio began broadcasts in the Belarusian language. Those were hardly achievements of a man who was lacking courage and initiative. Fortunately Father Sipovich later modified his somewhat hasty opinion, which was due perhaps to a lack of experience rather than to anything else. The war was over, but what followed could be hardly called peace. The world was split into two hostile camps, eyeing each other with suspicion and mistrust, careful at the same time not to do anything which might make the "cold war" hot again: the memory of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was still fresh in everybody’s mind. Between the two camps hung the "iron curtain" which prevented any normal flow of news and communication. In this confrontational situation Belarus, as part of the Soviet Union, found itself in the Moscow-controlled Communist camp, with its totalitarian regime, disregard of basic human rights and suppression of religion. Those Belarusians who as a result of the war found themselves west of the "Iron curtain", could not go back to their native country. The problem before them was not only how to survive, but also how to retain their national identity and make Belarus and its plight known in the free world. One of the first tasks confronting the three priests was to establish contact with Belarusians in Italy. About 2000 Belarusians were serving in the Polish armed forces. Many of them used to come to Rome on leave individually or in groups. Father Sipovich was always willing to act as guide to groups of soldiers and, while showing them the sights of Eternal City, would delicately inquire whether there were any Belarusians among them... Many valuable contacts were made in this way, and