Related articles
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
Current AffairsCourt rules St Vitus' Cathedral belongs to Catholic Church
If you think of Prague, one of the first things that springs to mind is the
magnificent 14th century Saint Vitus' Cathedral, towering above the city's
skyline. But who does the cathedral actually belong to? After a
thirteen-year legal battle, a district court in Prague has ruled that it
is the property of the Catholic Church. This may seem obvious, but in a
country where the church has had a troubled history, the whole issue has
been raising strong emotions. Czechs are a largely secular nation and many
people treasure St Vitus' Cathedral - and Prague Castle, at the heart of
which it stands - as a powerful symbol of Czech statehood rather than a
place of worship.
More
+1
