Josaphat Kuntsevych
A Basilian archbishop of Polotsk and martyr, he is known for his ardent defense of the Union of Brest, which united part of the Ruthenian Orthodox Church with Rome. He was killed by a hostile crowd in Vitebsk for his loyalty to the Catholic Church.
- Early modern era
- Feast day November 12
- † 1623
- Martyr
- Bishop
- Monk
Born Volodymyr Kuncevyč around 1580 in Volodymyr, Volhynia (modern-day Ukraine), Josaphat Kuntsevych became a Basilian monk, archimandrite, and then the Uniate Archbishop of Polotsk. He is an emblematic figure of perseverance in faith and ecumenism for the Eastern Catholic Churches. His efforts to reform the Ruthenian Church and strengthen the Union of Brest (1596) earned him the hostility of some Orthodox factions. He was brutally murdered by a mob in Vitebsk on November 12, 1623. Beatified in 1643 and canonized in 1867, he is the first saint of the Eastern Catholic Churches to be formally canonized by Rome.