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Rule of Law Program
(recent activity)
Church - State Relations In the Czech Republic
June 21, 2005
Academic workshop in Emauzy Monastery, Prague
Religious freedom is one of greatest and most tangible achievements of the political sea change of the last decade and a half. This ecumenical gathering, including representatives of three different theological faculties at Charles University (Catholic, Protestant and Husite), sought to separate appearance from reality and guage the actual position of religion in the post-communist Czech public square.
The Honorable Dr. Cyril Svoboda, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave the opening address to the assembled guests. Outstanding contributions included the comparison of current Czech legislation with that of other EU states by Dr. Petr Kolar of the Parliament Institute. Also Jiri Konicek, Chairman of the Society for Church-State Dialogue, described the history of diplomatic relations between the Czech Republic and the Holy See, with its influence on the domestic situation. A wide range of other speakers examined Church-State relations in the tradition of their own confession with the goal of building consensus. Dr. Roman Joch, Executive Director of the Civic Institute, and Prof. Ing. Lubomir Mlcoch from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University concluded with a joint presentation on the topic of the proper role of organized religion in a free society.
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