Roman Catholicism in the Czech Republic
The Roman Catholic Church in the Czech Republic is divided into two ecclesiastical provinces, which essentially correspond to the historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia / Silesia. This church provinces comprise a total of eight dioceses.
Structure
- Ecclesiastical Province of Bohemia
- Ecclesiastical Province of Moravia
The Catholic Church in the Czech Republic is territorially divided into two ecclesiastical provinces, two archdioceses and dioceses 6:
Ecclesiastical Province of Bohemia:
- Archdiocese of Prague (Praha; built 973 of Regensburg, ecclesiastical province of Mainz to 1341, Archdiocese from 1344)
With the suffragan dioceses:
- Diocese of Budweis ( České Budějovice ) ( 1785 )
- Diocese of Hradec Králové ( Hradec Králové ) ( 1664)
- Diocese Leitmeritz ( Litoměřice ) ( 1655)
- Diocese of Pilsen ( Plzeň) (1993 )
Ecclesiastical Province of Moravia:
With the suffragan dioceses:
- Diocese of Brno ( Brno) (1777 )
- Diocese of Ostrava - Opava (Ostrava- Opava ) ( 1996)
Furthermore, exists since 1996 in Prague an Apostolic Exarchate in the Czech Republic for Catholics of the Greek Catholic Church.
The Catholic military chaplain is assigned to a Military Vicariate.
The defunct diocese Leitomischl ( Litomyšl) is now used only as titular, titular bishop of current Leitomischl is the retired Auxiliary Bishop of Prague.
Czech Conference of Bishops Nunciature and
The Episcopal Conference is composed of the 8 Roman Catholic diocesan bishops (including two archbishops ), the five auxiliary bishops, three emeritus ( Christmas ) bishops. Member are also the three Greek Catholic bishops. The Chairman is the Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka OP Cardinal, Archbishop of Olomouc January Graubner serves as vice chairman of the Bishops' Conference. Its seat is located in Prague.
In the Episcopal Conference Permanent Council, in addition to the Presidency, 7 episcopal commissions for religious practice, catechesis, priests, Catholic education and for economic affairs exists; Public Relations and religious life. Furthermore, the Bishops' Conference there are 16 working groups for different topics.
In each case, a bishop is in addition to his diocesan agendas for the national tasks of education, charity and social affairs, youth, family, mission, media, foreign pastoral assigned. The Bishops' Conference has founded in 1844 as Collegium Bohemicum Pontifical Collegium Nepomucenum, the Czech seminary in Rome.
The Holy See has since 1920 an Apostolic Nunciature for diplomatic and ecclesiastical matters first to Czechoslovakia, since 1993 only for the Czech Republic. Nuncio is since 15 September 2011, the Italians, SE Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza. Predecessor from 2001 was Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender, and from 2004 Diego Causero.
Catholics in the Czech Republic
According to the Czech Statistical Office, to 1.08 million citizens profess the Roman Catholic Church ( census 2011), ie 10.4 % of all Czechs.
In comparison, the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren has around 52,000 members ( = 0.5 % of the population ) and the Czechoslovak Hussite Church around 39,000 members ( = 0.4 % of the population ). 34 % of the population described themselves in the 2011 Census as religious affiliation, 44 % did not respond.
History in using highlights
After the Christianization of Bohemia in the 10th century the archbishopric of Prague was built, which at that time was under the Metropolitan of Mainz. Second Archbishop of Prague was one of the later 's patron saint Adalbert of Prague ( Svatý Vojtěch z near Prague ).
In 1344 the diocese Leitomischl was founded, which in 1474 but went down in the wake of the Hussite movement and the territory was again placed under Prague.
By the Archbishop Ernst Adalbert von Harrach, the Catholic Church was coined in the age of the Thirty Years' War.
End of the 19th Century Pope Leo XIII admonished. in an encyclical " Quae ad nos " the Catholic Church in Bohemia and Moravia.
Suppressed church under Communist rule
After the overthrow of bourgeois democracy in February 1948 and the takeover of Czechoslovakia by the Communists, the new regime steered a repressive rate against the Catholic Church. Catholic publications were banned, confiscated Catholic publishers, Catholic schools were closed. The Vatican was declared an enemy, and reported the nuncio from Prague. The Communist rulers intended, with the so-called Catholic Action to convert the Catholic Church into a national, separated from Rome Church. Due to the deterioration of the situation and the uncertainty of the future in the country, the Holy See granted the bishops in Czechoslovakia secret powers. Among other things, there were also episcopal ordinations, the Czech bishops in secret first names ( Kajetán Matoušek František Tomasek, Ladislav Hlad, Karel Otčenášek ). By transfer of competences to the secret bishops and deans met to prepare for an underground church. The appointments and ordinations was never recognized by the Czechoslovak state. In October 1949, the regime established a state church office, which covers the whole life of the Church should be monitored and controlled. 1950 all religious orders were sent to concentration monasteries or re-education camps, where they were accused of espionage and working for the Vatican. Priests and bishops were interned, detained and prevented the exercise of their offices. After a long detention clergy were condemned partly in show trials to long prison terms ( Otčenášek ). There was a government internment camp for priests in the former monastery Želiv, had to perform forced labor in a quarry whose occupants. The Prague Cardinal Josef Beran was allowed in 1965 to return from a trip to Rome did not return to Prague. Even after the Prague Spring the exercise of pastoral care was always held under the supervision of the security services. Ordinations took place only a few. On the other hand, succeeded in the state to use their own candidates (Josef Vrana ).
The appointment of bishops 1988 ( Antonín Liska Jan Lebeda, Ján Sokol ) was the first in many years that could be negotiated between church and state. This was a compromise between what the Church needed and what could admit the communist regime. In August and September 1989 Vaňák František, Josef Koukl František Tondra were consecrated as bishops in Czechoslovakia.
From 1990
After the founding of the Czech Republic 1993, the church landscape in the Czech Republic was reorganized by a concordat. Here, the two dioceses Pilsen and Ostrava - Opava were established by being detached from other dioceses.
To date, no agreement has been concluded between the Czech Republic and the Vatican, which regulates the legal position of the Roman Catholic Church in the Czech Republic. Here About 2009 to be renegotiated. From 26 to September 28, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI paid. Czech Republic a visit.
Pilgrimages
The largest Marian shrine of the Czech Republic is the monastery Svatá Hora near Pribram. At this pilgrimage not only Czech believers, but also since the fall of the Iron Curtain again German and Austrian believers.