Dominik Duka
Dominik Jaroslav Duka OP Cardinal ( born April 26, 1943 in Hradec Králové ) is a Roman Catholic religious priest and Archbishop of Prague.
Life
Dominik Duka attended high school in his hometown. Since he was not allowed to study after high school, he worked as a factory worker and learned the locksmith trade. After military service he state authorities allowed since 1965 to study theology at the Theological College in Leitmeritz. In January 1968, he was secretly recorded as a novice in the Dominican Order and was ordained by the Bishop Stepan Leitmeritzer Trochta on June 22, 1970 Chaplain.
He then worked as a pastor in the northern border area of the Archdiocese of Prague. This activity was banned in 1975 to him by the Czechoslovak authorities. After having worked for the Dominican Order in the next few years, he was sentenced in 1981 to prison. After his release, he worked until 1989 as a draftsman in Pilsen.
In 1986 he was Provincial of the Bohemian- Moravian Province of the Dominicans. After the political changes in 1990 he was a lecturer at the Theological College in Olomouc and Chairman of the Conference of the higher ecclesiastics.
After Königgrätzer Bishop Karel Otčenášek had resigned for reasons of age by the Office of the Bishop, appointed by Pope John Paul II on 6 June 1998 Dominik Duka as his successor. He received his episcopal consecration Bishop Otčenášek on 26 September of the same year; Co-consecrators were the Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk and the Apostolic Nuncio to the Czech Republic, Archbishop Giovanni Coppa.
From November 2004 to January 2008 and during the following time the see is vacant, to October 4, 2008 Duka was also Apostolic Administrator of the diocese Leitmeritz.
Pope Benedict XVI. appointed him on 13 February 2010 for the Archbishop of Prague. The ceremonial enthronement took place on 10 April 2010.
In solemn consistory of February 18, 2012 it took Benedict XVI. as cardinal priest with the titular church of Santi Marcellino e Pietro in the College of Cardinals.
Dominik Duka is since 2010 President of the Czech Bishops' Conference.
Since 2012 he is a member of the Legion of Honour and Chaplain-General of the Lazarus Order.
Order of Malta
Archbishop Dominik Duka is committed to the Order of Malta and was honored on 27 June 2011 with the title of honorary and Konventualkaplans of the Order. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit Pro piis meritis.