SW News: Catholics in the Eastern European country of Belarus are a relieved lot as a much revered, centuries-old icon of the Blessed Virgin was rescued safely when a fire broke out in the cathedral in Budslaw on May 11.

A fire broke out in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at 8 am local time. It started from the roof causing it to cave in two hours later. The flames were brought under control in the afternoon. Parishioners and fire fighters were able to rescue the sacred icon, which is one of the most revered Marian images in the nation. They also rescued other holy objects, including missals, bibles and hymn books.

The icon was painted in Rome in the 16th century and was presented to a local governor Jan Pats by Pope Clement VIII in 1598 when he returned to Catholicism after renouncing Calvinism. The sacred icon represents the loyalty of Belarusian Catholics to Rome. Every August, believers from all over the country and even from neighbouring Poland, Lithuania and Russia undertake a pilgrimage on foot to the Cathedral to venerate the Holy Virgin. The sanctuary, which was built in the 1600s, is located in the diocese of Vitebsk in the northeastern part of Belarus bordering Russia.

The bishop of Vitebsk, suffragan of Minsk-Mogilev, Msgr. Oleg Budkevič has appealed for prayers for restoring the shrine, which was declared a minor basilica in 1994 by Pope Saint John Paul II. Although the pope wished to visit the shrine, he could not make it because of the nation’s close ties with Russia.

The Catholic episcopal in the nation has also appealed for help to restore the basilica to its former glory.