Three Czechs Tell Pope They Disapprove of Church Property Return

Prague Daily Monitor
March 14, 2012

http://praguemonitor.com/2012/03/14/three-czechs-tell-pope-they-disapprove-church-property-return

Prague, March 13 (CTK) - Three Czech activists have sent an open letter to Pope Benedict XVI, telling him they disapprove of the planned Czech law on the return of confiscated property to churches and on financial settlement, they told journalists Tuesday.

Writer Lenka Prochazkova, historian Mojmir Grygar and art director Vaclav Dvorak said in their opinion the planned law is unfounded from the ethical, historical and legal points of view and is at variance with the constitution.

The activists said they have lodged several dozens of criminal complaints over the government's bill. Prochazkova alone has lodged a complaint against all members of the cabinet on suspicion of abuse of power and breach of trust.

A complaint has also been lodged against Cardinal Dominik Duka on suspicion of attempted theft, Prochazkova said.

The activists disagree with the government and churches' argument that the government wants to return the church property seized by the communist regime.

The bill the government has submitted to parliament for approval breaks February 25, 1948 as the restitution deadline and provides for the return of vast property of which the Roman Catholic Church was stripped by the late 18th century Emperor Joseph II and by the subsequent land reforms in 1919 and 1947, the activists asssert in their letter to the Pope.

They add that the Czech public disapproves of the property return and the whole issue will not benefit the church's image.

The centre-right coalition government agreed with 17 churches in the Czech Republic in late 2011 to pay them 59 billion crowns over the next 30 years for the property that was confiscated from them by the communist regime. The sum may rise up to 90 billion crowns including inflation.

The churches are also to get back 56 percent of the confiscated property, worth approximately 75 billion crowns. The property settlement aims at putting an end to the financing of churches by the state.