Vincent Hadleŭski

Vincent Hadleŭski ( _be. Вінцэнт Гадлеўскі, November 16, 1898 – December 24, 1942) was a Belarusian Roman Catholic priest, publicist and politician.

Born in the village Shchury near Vaukavysk, he graduated from a Catholic seminary in Vilna and the Catholic academy in St.Petersburg. He was one of the first priests to introduce Catholic liturgy in Belarusian language.

After declaration of independence of Belarus in 1918 he became member of the government ("rada") of Belarusian National Republic. Vincent Hadleŭski was one of the founders of the Belarusian Christian Democracy political party, was editor of the magazine "Krynica".

In Poland-occupied West Belarus he was professor in the Belarusian seminary in Niasvizh and priest in Svianciany powiat. For active promotion of Belarusian language and independence Hadleŭski was arrested and put to prison for 2 years.

After his liberation he lived in Vilnia, where he translated the New Testament into Belarusian.

In 1939–1940 he edited the magazine "Bielaruski front" and established the Belarusian Independence Party. Hadleŭski's ideology was right-wing conservative and Christian, while most of other Belarusian national movement at that time was rather leftist, for example as the major West Belarusian political parties - the Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union and later the Communist Party of West Belarus.

In June 1940 Vincent Hadleŭski moved to Warsaw where he worked at the German-organized Belarusian Committee. In October 1941 he became chief scholary inspector of Minsk and organized education processes in the city's primary schools. While that, he kept on promoting the idea of Belarusian independence and organized illegal activity of the Belarusian Independence Party, that later even worked on an anti-German uprising in Minsk [http://www.slounik.org/32036.html Напрыканцы чэрвеня 1944 г. ЦК БНП рыхтаваў у Менску антынямецкае паўстаньне з мэтай абвяшчэньня Беларускай Народнай Рэспублікі, якое было адменена з прычыны імклівага наступу Чырвонай Арміі] .

On December 24, 1942 Vincent Hadleŭski was arrested by the German police and shot in Maly Trostenets extermination camp.

References

External links

* [http://www.slounik.org/149424.html biography at slounik.org]
* [http://knihi.net/descriptions/jorsz-rycar-svabody.html Siarhiej Jorš. "Rycar Svabody"] .