Bishop Sipovich new file

36 September 1946 in London and decided to found an Association of Belarusians (or, as they were called then, Whiteruthenians) in Great Britain which exists to this day. Zhuk-Hryshkievich was the Association’s first chairman, and the secretary was one of the students, Victor Siankievich. After the succesful defence of his doctoral thesis on 19 December there was nothing to keep Father Sipovich in Rome. On 1 January 1947 the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain wrote to Buchys and to the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, asking them to send Father Sipovich to England. Buchys initially ignored the letter. On 22 January Sipovich had an audience at the Oriental Congregation, at which he raised the question of his going to Great Britain. At the Congregation they promised to write about it to Buchys, which they did two days later, on 24 January. On receiving the letter from the Congregation, Buchys, ever obsequious before higher authorities, immediately changed his mind and gave his consent. He even wrote, or at least signed, a gracious letter in idiosyncratic Belarusian to the Association of Belarusians in Great Britain. Before going to Britain, there were still a few things to do in Rome. Soon after his arrival in Paris, Father Haroshka held a consultation with members of the Belarusian community there. It was decided to send a delegation to Rome. Two persons were chosen: Father Francis Charniauski and Liavon Rydleuski. Father Sipovich was in charge of the delegation’s programme in Rome. It was a success. Not only did the delegates have talks in the Vatican Secretariate of State and the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, but on 8 November they, accompanied by Fathers Tatarynovich and Sipovich, were received in private audience by Pope Pius XII. The delegates asked the Holy Father for a Belarusian bishop and help in training new priests. This was the first time that the Pope had received a Belarusian delegation as such. Belarusians had been received by the Pope before, e.g. Abrantovich in 1928 and Tsikota in 1935, but for reasons which had nothing to do with Belarus. Less succesful was the attempt to solve the problem of ex-Druia Belarusian Marian Fathers and clerics who were in Poland. With Belarus firmly in Communist hands, there was no hope of them returning to Druia. Father Haroshka wrote at least twice to Buchys, asking him to let the Belarusian Fathers come to the West (Germany, Denmark, France), where there were large communities of Belarusian refugees without priests. He even suggested that those working in Harbin should be brought back to Europe. He received no reply. On 22 December Father Sipovich wrote a letter to Buchys saying that there was an imbalance between the work done by Belarusian Marians in Poland, and the Polish Marians who came in their place to Druia. To put the balance right Sipovich made a few modest suggestions, namely that some young Belarusian Marian priests be allowed to come to Rome and given the opportunity to receive a proper academic theological education, while the others should be given the chance to do the same at Warsaw University. The letter caused a stir. It was discussed at a meeting of the General Council on 14 January 1947. Father Mroczek, a Pole, suggested that it should be removed from the files, "ascribing certain inconvenient written passages and words to youthful temperament (adscribendo aliqua inconvenientia scriptorum et verborum iuvenili temperamento)". His proposal was rejected, and on 22 January he wrote a letter to Buchys, in which he tried to prove that what Belarusians received was in excess of their contribution to the work of the Polish province, and advised Father Sipovich to show more restraint in the future. Father Sipovich left Rome on 24 March 1947. Instead of proceeding directly to London as ordered, he stopped for over two weeks in France, staying with Father