Religion and Churches in the CR

1. Religion and Churches in the CR Past and Present

2. Why I was appointed to this topic, even if I am teaching economics and not e.g. philosophy? Of course there are more people who are religious orinterested in religion at this faculty. However, as a result of the previous regime, many of them still somehow keep it as a personal secret. Because I am an active member of the Union of Catholic Women CR and was chairing it for some year, and member of the Christian Democratic/Union – Czechoslovak Peoples Party as well as of some other Christian NGOs, I am quite widely known to be a Christian. Andas I have already mentioned, I am also singing in a church choir for more than 40 years and my choir did a X-mas concert at the university several years ago

3. What are we going to talk about • The very beginnings of Czech Christianity • The person of Jan Hus • Religious situation in Czechoslovakia in • the Communist time • The present situation - • for better or for worse • What is the role of churches in the • today‘s CR ?

4. 863 A.D. Cyril and Methodius two learned priests from Thessaloniki, came first to the Moravian Velehrad, to baptise prince Svatopluk, and then to baptise also the Bohemian prince Bořivoj and his wife Ludmila

5. They thought it important, that people understood the new belief, therefore they translated the Bible into an Old-Slavonic language and gave thus the country not only Christianity, but also literacy in their own language. July 5th is the feast of the Thessaloniki brothers and therefore Czech national holiday

6. Meeting “Days of the Goodwill People“ at Velehrad, July 5

7. It was not an easy process, because Bohemia was a pagan country at that time, but eventually Christianity won.

8. It was not an easy process, because Bohemia was a pagan country at that time, but eventually Christianity won.

9. Musical notation of the song "Hospodine, pomiluj ny” (Lord, Have mercy on us) - one of the earliest recorded musical notations in the Czech lands, around 1000 A.D.

10. The truth wins Jan Hus - a prophet or a heretic • Some facts : • born probably around 1370 in a Husinec • several places compete to have been his birth-place • got BA. In 1393, MA. in 1396, ordained in 1400

11. Some more facts : • from 1411 on defending the side of John Wicklef • was an excellent preacher, mainly in the Bethlehem chapel in Prague • tended to theological disputes • was an outstanding scholar • invented the accent signs in the Czech writing • was also music composer • was appointed rector of the Prague University 1402-1403 opuszczony opuštěný č,ž,á

12. Some more facts : • criticised the Church for its life and wealth (namely selling the Church positions and the indulgences ) • but himself was not opposed to good food or drink After being • tried by the • Church council • as a heretic, • he died • at the stake • on July 6, 1415 • in Konstanz

13. The main part of the problem was not only religious discrepancies (so-called “remanence“), but also political problems. The archbishop of Prague Zbyněk Zajíc of Haznburg (nicknamed “the Alphabet“), was more of a soldier than a scholar (he was said to have been almost illiterate) and was not able to solve the theological problems,so he used power and since Hus opposed him, denounced him to the Church council

14. Because of it,July 6 is also Czech national holiday

15. Celebrations in Husinec, 2005

16. What did Hus really look like?

17. After Hus’s death, the Hussite wars started in Bohemia, which were first oriented at social equality and purity of faith, but later on deteriorated into fighting for power Many churches, libraries and works of art were destroyed and the country was in economic chaos

18. The wars ended at the Battle of Bílá Hora ( the White Mountain ) in 1620, where the Czech and Moravian protestants lost and afterwards there started the a gradual re-Catholicisation of the country under the German rule. Once more, it had its positive and negative features

19. Many protestant freemen left the country, among them J.A.Komenský, protestant bishop and great educationalist, whoemigrated to Englandandthen to theNetherlands, where he died

20. Museum andgraveof J.A. Komenský in Naarden

21. Therevived religious orders built not only beautiful churches, but alsolibraries, schools and hospitals, supported science and culture

22. Now we have to jump over several centuries….. After the WW I., the origin of the independent Czechoslovakia brought about a certain amount of anti-church feelings, since the prevailing Catholic Church was connected to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Also there were several serious outbreaks of anti-semitism and the intelligentsia tended to liberal thinking

23. A typical example of antisemitism was the famous Hilsner case in 1899, revoked in 1910 Leopold Hilsner The town of Polná, 1890

24. Czechoslovak Hussite Church has been established in January 1920, as the reflection on national freedom. It started as a criticism towards Catholic Church, the liberal priests asked for religious ceremonies in Czech, abolishment of priests celibate, women ministers and some other changes. Having been refused, they founded a new “national“ church. Since 1947, they have women as ministers (since 1999, the first women was appointed bishops )

25. There used to stand the “Plague Column“  It was destroyed in 1918 by Czech “nationalist” with the help of Prague firemen

26. The organisers also planned to throw down the statues of saints from the Charles Bridge , but fortunately were stopped in time

27. Nevertheless, Czechoslovakia still was the country of strong Christian and mostly Catholic traditions …... …namely in the rural areas …. ..the more so in Moravia and Slovakia…..

28. As early as in 1949, the Communist movement against religion started by passing special Church Acts As the act of open hostility, all the 12 bishops and numbers outstanding priests and monastery abbots, who were not willing to support the new regime, were arrested in 1949-1951, led by the archbishop of Prague Josef Beran. They were kept first in prison, later on in special concentration camps, namely in Želiv in the South-East Bohemia, where they worked in stone-quarries, farms or cleaned lavatories in T.U. recreation hotels. Most of them were released only at the beginning of 60ies, but were not allowed to act as priests.

29. In June 1949, the archbishop of Prague Josef Beran wrote a letter to the communist government protesting against violation of the constitution with regard to church. As a result, he was “confined“ in different places till 1965. Then he was allowed to leave for Rome (he was appointed a cardinal then), under the condition that he would never come back. He died in Rome in 1980 and is buried in St. Petrus cathedral.

30. The situation can be looked at from viewpoint of: • priests • religious orders • ordinary believers • general public • church buildings

31. ….position of priests…. • Special state permission for a given place, lost in case of “violation of the the State control over churches“ • Limited numbers of theology students, faculties etc. • Most of the time only 1-2 bishops for the whole country • Open terror in the 50ies ( political processes, imprisonments ) • Very low state-granted salaries • Often moved from one place to another • Persuaded or pushed to collaboration through the pro-regime organisation “Pacem in Terris“ • Personal isolation, incessant control and following, meeting in groups or work with children punished • But in the 80ies, new priests were ordained in secret

32. …. position of religious orders…. • At the beginning of 1951, all monasteries abolished, monks andpriests taken away in the middle of night, put to concentrationcamps, all property taken (partly destroyed) • After the release, got the worst manual jobs elsewhere, prohibited to live together • Nuns also turned out, at first left in hospitals, later only in mental asylums, with handicapped children and in old priests homes • Satirised in films and literature, if emerging at all • All religious orders prohibited to take any new applicants, supposed to die out • But in the 70ies and 80ies, numbers of young people entered secretly

33. … situation of the ordinary believers... • According to the Constitution, a complete freedom of religion • In practice, noted in everyone‘s personal dossier and takeninto consideration with regard to study, jobs, travelling… • More outstanding people followed and sometimes arrested • Lessons on religion at schools limited, children registered • Children at schools educated in pointed atheism • Christian feasts, like Christmas, changed to secular ones (Grandpa Frost from the S.U.) or suppressed (Easter, Lent) • Even things like Christmas carols prohibited in wireless or TV, if they mentioned Jesus or Mary or Bethlehem

36. … situation of the ordinary believers... • No public religious ceremonies allowed (Corpus Christi processions, pilgrim processions, first communions etc) , difficulties with a wedding in church etc. • Practically no religious books published, secret “samizdat” or import of them punished • All visits from the “capitalists and imperialists“ registered and controlled, had to be announced at the job • But : It kept people very much together, because there were no “register believers“. • Underground activities were growing, there was high feeling of solidarity.

37. …attitude of the general public... • It was probably one the greatest successes of the Communist propaganda: most people did not mind much. • It was so much easier not to think about omniscient God, one‘s sins, or even hell. • The result : • Several generations practically without any education regarding Christianity, people who entered church only as tourists, never read the Bible, never knowingly met a priest….. • Unfortunately, several generations also without the Christian moral code.

38. The general idea : Religion is something rather funny and obsolete, but also dangerous for one‘s future and good only for old people.

39. Church buildings • Theoretically still owned by the church (not monasteries, schools, economic buildings) • Practically, the state decided about them • Outside big cities, practically no repairs • In Western border areas, many destroyed by the army or let falling down • No new churches built • Some show-window cases ( church in Most etc.)

40. Church buildings Gothic Virgin Mary Assumption Church built by Jakub Heilmann of Schweinfurt that was cut from the foundations and transferred. The transfer took place between l3th September and 27th October 1975 during which time the church travelled 841.1 metres along a curved trajectory at a speed of 2.16 cm per minute. The church and the 12,000 ton supporting steel frame were supported by 53 hydraulic carriages that equalised every unevenness of the ground within a tolerance range of ~1 mm. But it took another 13 years to finish the installation and stabilisation of the structure and to restore the church to its previous beauty. The church was re-opened to public as a cultural memorial and the original furniture-altar, organ, etc. were not returned until after 1989. The re-opening for religious services and consecration took place in 1993

41. Built 1841 1990 re-building started 1973 torn down 1955 use forbidden Pilgrim church Maria Hilf Zlaté Hory

42. ….by the end of the 80ies... The Church, namely Catholic Church, become the symbol of the protest againstCommunism. Every Church event was a sort of manifestation. Partly it was represented by the person of the cardinal and archbishop ofPrague, František Tomášek.

43. Things culminated in November 1989, when Agnes of Bohemia was canonised in Rome, where almost 4000 Czech pilgrims came by special buses and trains. The ceremony was broadcast by Czech TV and the event was perceived as a sign of better times

44. The situation after the “Velvet Revolution“ • Positive moments: • freedom of religious beliefs, churches and denominations • opportunity of different activities • reinstated religious orders • church schools, hospitals • renewed contacts with world churches and church organisations • developing ecumenism • growing need of spiritual experience among young people • a number of new churches built

45. Very important for religious life and situation in Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic were three visits of the late pope John Paul II. in 1990, 1995 and 1997

46. By the way, the story of that new church is quite typical…. • In 1924, when that part of Prague ( Strašnice) became to grow, a Society for Building the Church was founded, in 1930 a building plot was donated by the local landlord and the parish started to collect money. They first decided to build a parish house with a chapel, which was finished in 1930 • Further activities were stopped by the war • After the war, they started planning again but lost all money in the currency reform in 1952 • They lost also the remaining plot in the sixties expropriated by the state, but fortunately it was made a public park • The parish started renewed activities in 1968, but was not quick enough • In 1992, new church was started with the help of an Austrian diocese, finished in 1994. There were new buildings all around at that time, but miraculously the free space had still been left

47. 1934(project) 1994

48. New church and Community Centre of Mother Theresa of Calcutta in the suburb of Prague (the Southern Town)

49. It was opened on May 26, 2007, thechurchwasfull. Itisstillfull on Sundays