Catholic Church in the Czech Republic
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National polity | |
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Classification | Catholic |
Orientation | Latin and Eastern Catholic |
Scripture | Bible |
Theology | Catholic theology |
Polity | Episcopal |
Governance | ČBK |
Pope | Francis |
President | Jan Graubner |
Divisions | Archbishop |
Divisions | Bishop |
Language | Czech, Latin |
Headquarters | Prague |
Territory | Czech Republic |
Members | 976,853 [1] |
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The Catholic Church in the Czech Republic (Czech: Katolická církev v České republice) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, curia in Rome, and the Conference of Czech Bishops.
Overview
In the 2021 census, 741,000 people identified themselves Roman Catholics, another 8,309 people identified as Greek Catholics, and an additional 236,000 people described themselves as simply Catholics. Together, they represent over 9% of the Czech population. There are eight
History
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Protestant Bohemia vs. the Habsburgs
After the death of
Following World War I
The 1920 newly constituted Czechoslovak Church (since 1971 known as Czechoslovak Hussite Church) and the Czech Brethren (1918) were major beneficiaries of this defection from Catholicism until after World War II, when the overall belief in organized religion started to fall steeply. In addition, the Sudeten Germans, who were those Austrians who ended up within Czech borders after World War I, were mostly Catholics, and their expulsion after World War II also reduced the Church's presence. Over 90% Catholic in 1910, the Czech Republic is now reduced to some 10%.
Communist regime
The
During the Communist regime, various underground Catholic movements existed. Among these is the Koinotes group, centered on Bishop Felix Davidek, whose vicar general was Ludmila Javorová, ordained by him to the presbyterate.
2012 Agreement on Church Property Restitution
In January 2012 the Czech government agreed to pay billions of dollars in compensation for property seized by the former totalitarian regime from the Church.
The Church Property Restitution in the Czech Republic Agreement, as the compensation plan was called, has been signed. The process was spread over 30 years. Under the plan, the country's 17 churches, including Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox, would get 56 percent of their former property now held by the state – estimated at 75 billion koruna ($3.7 billion) – and 59 billion koruna ($2.9 billion) in financial compensation paid to them over the next 30 years. Eighty percent of funds and property will go the Catholic Church, by far the biggest recipient. The state will also gradually stop covering their expenses over the next 17 years.
In 2008, a similar bill was approved by the government but Parliament rejected it.[4][5]
Structure
- Archdiocese of Prague
- Diocese of Plzeň
- Diocese of Litoměřice
- Diocese of České Budějovice
- Diocese of Hradec Králové
- Archdiocese of Olomouc
- Diocese of Brno
- Diocese of Ostrava-Opava
- Apostolic Exarchate of the Greek Catholic Church in the Czech Republic
About 200 of the Czech Republic's 1,370 priests are from neighbouring Poland.[6]
See also
References
- ^ https://scitani.gov.cz/docs/42301/aa331037-5c05-6d25-d9b9-07218379072e/sldb2021_pv_obyvatelstvo_podle_cirkvi_a_kraju.xlsx 2021 census; adding "catholic" a "Roman Catholic Church"
- ^ Political Catholicism in Europe 1918-1945, Volume I; Wolfram Kaiser and Helmut Wohnout, editors, pp. 181-2
- ^ Freedom House website, Czech page/ Section D2, retrieved 2023-08-28
- ^ Jonathan Luxmoore, "Church restitution opponents in papal plea", THE TABLET, 25 May 2013, 25.
- ^ "Churches compensated for seized properties", CHRISTIANITY TODAY, November 2011, 12.
- ^ pl:Kościół katolicki w Czechach