Over the ashes of Communism” “

“Classic or specialised”: that’s the distinction drawn by Father Ales Opatrny , delegate for pastoral care of the diocese of Prague, in discussing the parishes in his city. “It’s difficult to grasp the situation – he admits – unless one has emerged from decades of Communist regime, during which religion was banned. And it’s largely for this reason that religion is little developed in the Czech Republic, and in particular in central Bohemia. In spite of this, important signs of revival are being registered, especially in the quarters built by the former Communist regime”. Built round the family. “The mainstay of the parish – explains Father Ales – is the family. At the present time, Catholics represent 5-7% of the total population. In the rural centres this can mean that Catholics comprise just a single family. In Prague, by contrast, while the percentage of Catholics remains the same, each parish may comprise as many as 20-30 families, including many teenagers and children; the whole structure of the population is represented and this is obviously positive. Relations between parishioners are better now, because the young and the elderly meet other people who frequent the parish like them and so they don’t remain alone. In Prague there’s more community life. The initial interest in Catholicism, shown by many people in the Nineties after the fall of the Communist regime, was due to curiosity more than anything. Today the situation is better because the first ‘wave’ has ended and the phase of ‘depression’ is over; it’s a situation that gives us hope for the future”. An unusual distinction. “There are 95 parishes in Prague. In the city centre – explains Father Opatrny – there are especially parishes run by the religious orders, who have become ‘specialised’, so to say, in welcoming in a particular way those faithful attracted, for example, by Franciscan spirituality; the biggest problem is that there aren’t many permanent residents in the city centre, and parish life and the participation of the faithful suffer from this. In the areas immediately outside the city centre, by contrast, there are so-called ‘classic parishes’ run by secular priests with all the typical activities of a parish”. Some are particularly active in the diaconate and in charity. There’s one that regularly organises fund-raising activities in aid of the Ukraine. Others have many years’ experience in ecumenical dialogue. And then there are the university parishes that offer wide-ranging activities for the young. Not all parishes have extensive facilities, but those that have, organise cultural events or programmes for youth and children. The centres we have opened in the suburbs are also places of culture where cultural programmes both for the young and for the elderly are on offer. They meet a need, and the response has in large part been positive, because the cultural offer in these areas of the city is otherwise meagre. The cultural activities organised by the parishes are primarily addressed at parishioners, although the new centres we are trying to open in the new housing estates are also addressed at people who don’t belong to the Church. The cultural programmes we offer also represent a good occasion for ecumenical contacts”. New centres. But new parishes are also being established in the outlying quarters of Prague, constructed during the Communist regime. “Here the situation is very complex – he adds – since where churches did not originally exist or there existed just a small rural church, now there are huge housing estates containing some 40,000 inhabitants. In these cases the priests and the structures are insufficient to cope with the situation. Fortunately we have opened two new centres in these new quarters, but we need a further 5-6 buildings, and progress is still slow”.