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Current AffairsNew initiative demands final settlement of disputes between Church and State
Last week's Supreme Court ruling, which handed control of Prague's St.
Vitus' Cathedral to the Czech state has once again focused attention on
the tense relationship between the Catholic Church and the Czech
government. Besides the thorny issue of returning property to the church,
which was confiscated by the former communist regime, other bones of
contention between the two sides include the church's official status in
Czech society and the ratification of a treaty between the Vatican and the
Czech Republic. Now a Catholic civic association has submitted a petition
to the Czech president calling on the authorities to resolve these
longstanding issues once and for all. More
Current AffairsCatholic Church to screen priests for collaboration with StB
Thousands of public officials have had their pasts scrutinised under a
lustration or screening law adopted two years after the fall of communism.
It aims to stop former senior officials, agents and collaborators reaching
high office today. Now, a full decade and a half later, the Czech
Republic's Roman Catholic Church is also beginning to screen its priests
for evidence of collaboration with the communist-era secret police, the
StB. More
Current AffairsMadonna show abuses religious symbols, says cardinal ahead of singer's Prague debut
The US pop star Madonna has been all over the Czech media recently, ahead
of her first ever concerts in the Czech Republic. The two shows take place
at Prague's Sazka Arena on Wednesday and Thursday and sold out in record
time, despite unusually high ticket prices. But not everyone welcomes
Madonna's visit: the head of the Czech Roman Catholic church, Cardinal
Miroslav Vlk, has issued a strong statement condemning Madonna's show. I
asked his spokesman Martin Horalek why. More
Current AffairsCzech cardinal sympathises with angry Muslims
The publication of caricatures of the prophet Mohammed in a Danish
newspaper has brought violent reactions in some parts of the Muslim world,
and heated debate in Europe about the balance between freedom of expression
and respect for different beliefs. Indirectly, the Czech Republic has also
found itself in the firing line.
More
Current AffairsLeft-wing parties push through controversial bill on churches
The ruling Social Democrats pooled their votes with the Communists in the
lower house of Parliament on Tuesday to push through a controversial
amendment to the law on Churches, overturning a recent veto by the Senate.
Opponents to the bill say that it would seriously undermine the rights of
churches and some deputies have already said they are prepared to take the
matter to the Constitutional Court.
More
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