On Sunday, January 3, 2021, Vatican officials announced that the Holy Father had abdicated from the pastoral government of Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusevic, Metropolitan of Minsk-Mogilev.
This is reported by Vatican News.
The Pope has appointed Kazimir Velikoselets, an assistant bishop of the Diocese of Pinsk, as the Apostolic Administrator of the vacant throne.
Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusevic headed the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mogilev since 2007, previously he headed the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow for five years. Since June 2015-Chairman of the Episcopal Conference of Belarus. On January 3, 2021, the hierarch turned 75 years old, when, according to canon law requirements, bishops submit a letter of resignation to the pontiff.
As known, late August last year, the Belarusian authorities banned Metropolitan Kondrusevich to return to the country after traveling to Poland. Only on December 22, the Apostolic Nuncio in the country, Archbishop Ante Jozic, announced that he had received information from the competent authorities that the Archbishop of Minsk no longer has any obstacles return to the territory of the Republic of Belarus. Thus, the Metropolitan Catholic community was able to celebrate Christmas together with its archpastor.