I was recently re-reading a couple Victorian travel books by Frederick Burnaby, in which he castigates the Russian Empire for its repressive religious policy in Belarus (among other things). This got me wondering what it might be like if Belarus had remained Eastern Catholic. So, as it says on the tin, how can we keep Belarus from largely shifting from Eastern Catholic to Eastern Orthodox? Bonus points if it's accomplished while keeping Belarus under Russian rule.
AHC: Keeping Belarus Eastern Catholic?
- Thread starter varyar
- Start date
Actually, as far as I can tell, there are, and always have been, far fewer Byzantine Rite Catholics in Belarus than Latin Rite ones.
Without the persecution, they'd be Roman Catholic, not Greek Catholic.
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Aha. It looks like the important date is 1795, when Belarus fully became part of Russia. So, if you have a PoD that far back you can keep the country Greek Catholic.
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Belarus was originally Orthodox, then gained a strong Catholic element (though not a real majority) during Polish-Lithuanian union rule.
So, the surest way to keep Catholicism at peak level is to prevent the partitions of Poland-Lithuania.
Other than that, maybe if Lithuania and Belarus ended up being dominated by a German power (preferably not Sweden), for some time, before being conquered by Russia anyway. In that case, the Russians might hand over administration to the local German nobility like they did IOTL in Estonia and Latvia, leaving a thin but present layer of Catholicism in the local upper classes.
So, the surest way to keep Catholicism at peak level is to prevent the partitions of Poland-Lithuania.
Other than that, maybe if Lithuania and Belarus ended up being dominated by a German power (preferably not Sweden), for some time, before being conquered by Russia anyway. In that case, the Russians might hand over administration to the local German nobility like they did IOTL in Estonia and Latvia, leaving a thin but present layer of Catholicism in the local upper classes.
Hrm... Now just how to manage it - either avoid the partitions of Poland, or make them exclusively between Prussia and Austria, with Russia sitting out for whatever reason.
Or maybe something like this:
with Austria retaining most of its portions at the Congress of Vienna.
(And admittedly it was just based on Wikipedia, but from what I read, Belarus was something like 80/20 Eastern/Roman Catholic until the late 18th century.)
I rather like that. Cool idea!
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wait...eastern Catholic exist?
"No Homer, God didn't burn your house down, but he was working in the hearts of your friends be they Protestant, Orthodox, or... miscellaneous."
"Eastern Catholic. There are 17 million of us."
"Aww, that's super!"
More seriously: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches
Errrm... the only close OTL case - Neuburg enclave - was strongly pro-religious minorities (Orthodox/Protestants).
Also, there was a bad bug that was later on partially fixed (when the "fight against Russian imperialism deal" started) - the Eastern Catholic liturgy services were in Polish. Had they been in Ruthenian there won't be a double deal of "Papism+Polish Supremacy" and it would have been the chance.
Kind of irrelevant but nevertheless...
My grandfather was a Belorussian from the extreme East of Belaruss, very close to Russian border. His daughter, my mother said that the strongest swearword he used was an "uniate"; she was a little girl and did not know what this meant but judging by the context thought that it meant "motherfucker" or even worse.
When she grew older and went to school she was very surprised to learn that this meant just a "member of an uniate Orthodox Church" meaning what you call "Eastern Catholic", I presume.
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Yes. That also. Uniate in the East Belarus = very bad stuff, vehicle for rampant Papism/Polonization. Given how the "conversion" often involved pillages of Orthodox churches by (Polish) Catholic soldiers...people often know only 19th century end of the "sob story" told post-Partitions, while in the reality it was merely an act of revenge.
The pillage acts were "sticking sabers into Orthodox icons when mocking "Schismatic God, won't Thou be able to protect Your property" and other kinds of bad stuff. I sympathize with your grandpa. Mogilev (I assume you talk about it) was on receiving end of lots of crap.
In short, the Greek Catholic rite became popular among upper classes for political reasons (you had no chance for any political career on grand level whatsoever if you're not Roman Catholic or Greek Catholic) and among lower classes it was often "enforced Polonization/Catholicization" to the point of "uniate" becoming a swear word.
And I guess the attitude towards Greek Catholicism varied from region to region (West naturally more 'Catholocized') and even from place to place.
From what I know the village where my Grandfather was from is what I call "good old hardcore Belaruss" - 'we'll never give up' type, you know.
In short - the challenge is either ASB or require Nazi-level Polonizing brutality regarding lower classes (political or "able to study in Western universities" stimuli were sufficient for upper classes). Though as you've said, the attitude is pretty much divided.
And the 80/20 statistics, guys, is a made up stuff (for bureaucratic reasons, most of those "nominal Eastern Catholics" were very nominal and there was a lot of back-and-forth conversions).
wait...eastern Catholic exist?
To put it simply, yes.
There are Roman Rite (i.e. basically what everyone thinks of when they hear Catholic) Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe, though there is also a significant population of Eastern Rite Catholics who are in Communion with Rome and recognize the authority of the Pope and are thus considered full Catholics.
To put it in a very oversimplified way: their ceremonies and practices lean towards Orthodox Christianity whereas their beliefs and theology are solidly Catholic.
Actually in the end of 13th Century, the Principality of Polotsk was under the Livonian Order, perhaps if it continues, Belarus could be forced to convert to catholicism.
The closest I can see is a Muscovy screw If you can prevent Muscovy from gaining the Principality of Vladimir as hereditary title and paving the way for their ascension in the Tartar Yoke and beyond of the Golden Horde. Then you could keep Belarus Eastern Catholic, provided it even spreads there.