Religious purity

The week's news at a glance.

Minsk

The Belarusian parliament has declared Russian Orthodoxy the state’s “determining” religion and outlawed all new, minority religions. Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and most Protestants may continue to worship in Belarus, because their faiths are considered traditional. But any religious organization that has not been established in Belarus “for at least 20 years” cannot distribute literature, recruit followers, or hold services—even in private homes. The law was aimed at curbing proselytizing by Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have been active in Eastern Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

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