Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych

Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych O.S.B.M.
Archeparch of Polotsk
Church	Ruthenian Catholic Church
Diocese	Archeparchy of Polotsk
Appointed	1618
Term ended	November 12, 1623 (1623-11-12)
Predecessor	Gedeon Brolnicki ()
Successor	Antin Sielava
Personal details
Birth name	Ivan Kunchych
Born	c. 1580 Volodymyr, Volhynian Voivodeship, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Died	(1623-11-12)November 12, 1623 Vitebsk, Vitebsk Voivodeship, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Sainthood
Feast day	November 12 (Latin Church, Romanian Greek Catholic Church, Ruthenian Catholic Church) November 14 (Latin Church, extraordinary rite) November 25 (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
Title as Saint	Bishop and martyr
Beatified	May 16, 1643 Rome by Pope Urban VIII
Canonized	June 29, 1867 Rome by Pope Pius IX
Patronage	Ukraine

November 12 (Latin Church, Romanian Greek Catholic Church, Ruthenian Catholic Church)
November 14 (Latin Church, extraordinary rite)

Josaphat Kuntsevych, O.S.B.M., (c. 1580 – 12 November 1623) (Belarusian: Язафат Кунцэвіч, Jazafat Kuncevič, Polish: Jozafat Kuncewicz, Lithuanian: Juozapatas Kuncevičius, Ukrainian: Йосафат Кунцевич, Josafat Kuntsevych) was a Polish-Lithuanian monk and archeparch (archbishop) of the Ruthenian Catholic Church, who on 12 November 1623 was killed by angry mob in Vitebsk,Vitebsk Voivodeship, in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (now in Belarus). He is "the best-known victim" of anti-Catholic violence related to implementing the Union of Brest, and is declared a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church.

His death reflects the conflict among Christian Orthodox and Catholics that had intensified after the Ruthenian Orthodox Church (Kiev Metropolitan) joined the Catholic Church through the 1596 Union of Brest and was ongoing ever since Isidore of Kiev signed the Florentine Union.