Lithuanian Parliament declared that 2022 will be devoted to Skaryna to mark 500 years since the first book came out in print in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Besides Warsaw, Masses for Skaryna will also be held on the same day in Vilnius, Prague, Minsk, Polatsk and Padua.

The initiative aims to remember Francysk Skaryna as well as to emphasise the shared heritage and cultural bonds in our region. It is an expression of support for Belarusian civil society in its pursuit of an independent and democratic state. The purpose is also to show solidarity from Poles, Lithuanians and Czechs, who have not been indifferent to repressive measures brought on our neighbours – both the Belarusian nation and the Polish minority – by the Lukashenko regime. The Masses in Vilnius, Prague and Warsaw will be attended by representatives of foreign ministries. 

Representatives of the government, the churches affiliated with the Polish Ecumenical Council, the diplomatic corps, Belarusian émigré circles, and Polish communities engaged in extending help to Belarus are all welcome to participate in the Mass at the Archcathedral in Warsaw, which will be celebrated by Bishop Michał Janocha.

Francysk Skaryna played a crucial part in forging the Belarusian people’s identity. As a translator of the Bible from the Old Church Slavonic into Old Belarusian, he was a forerunner of Belarusian literature. He studied at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, and lived and worked in Vilnius as a secretary and personal physician of Bishop John of Vilnius, son of King Sigismund I the Old and his secretary in one. Skaryna ended his days in Prague as an avid practitioner of printing.

 

 

Łukasz Jasina

MFA Press Spokesperson