Debate on church restitutions bill postponed

The lower house of Parliament has postponed until June a debate on a controversial bill on church restitutions. The bill came under fire from opposition Social Democrats who said they were ready to file a constitutional complaint against it if it was approved in its present form. Under the bill, the state would return some of the church property confiscated by the communist regime and compensate religious orders for the rest. The compensation money would be paid out over a period of 60 years and would amount to 270 billion crowns. The opposition, and even some coalition deputies say this sum is outrageous and are demanding to know how government and church representatives had arrived at that figure.