Sacred Language in the Borderlands: Discussions on the Language of Belarusian Catholicism

This article considers in detail the choosing of a language for the liturgy and sermons in Roman Catholic parishes in Belarus. The choice of the Belarusian language is part of a deliberate nation-building policy by the Catholic Church. Moreover, a whole network of local peculiarities, historical ste...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nationalities papers 2024-03, Vol.52 (2), p.446-460
Main Authors: Lastouski, Aliaksei, Zakharov, Nikolay
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activism
Baltic and East European studies
Belarus
Belarusian language
Borders
Catholic churches
Catholicism
Catholics
Clergy
Cultural differences
Culture
Intercultural communication
Language
Language usage
liturgical language
Liturgy
Nation building
National identity
Parishes
Political attitudes
Political development
Religion
Religious orthodoxy
Rites & ceremonies
Sacredness
Sermons
Stereotypes
Östersjö- och Östeuropaforskning
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Summary:This article considers in detail the choosing of a language for the liturgy and sermons in Roman Catholic parishes in Belarus. The choice of the Belarusian language is part of a deliberate nation-building policy by the Catholic Church. Moreover, a whole network of local peculiarities, historical stereotypes, and political attitudes is concealed beneath the unified cover of a preference for the use of the Belarusian language. Based on interviews with clergy and religious activists, the article shows that the Roman Catholic Church repeatedly works out compromise solutions that allow it to adapt to the pressures of the state and believers going through a process of contradictory and conflicting nation-building.
ISSN:0090-5992
1465-3923
1465-3923
DOI:10.1017/nps.2021.74