European Churches" "
A plenary meeting or Synod of the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic is to be held at Velehrad in early July to promote the implementation of the documents of Vatican Council II and the recent joint document of the Czech and Austrian Episcopal Conferences on reconciliation after World War II. Preparation of what is billed as the “Synod of the Country” was at the centre of the deliberations of Czech bishops at their last plenary assembly held in recent days under the presidency of Cardinal Graubner at Krnov. The assembly also discussed the instrumentum laboris or preparatory document for the Synod which is due to begin in July and to last three years; some 700 work groups participated in its preparation. The central themes of the Synod will include: ethics, doctrine of the faith and responsibility in the Church and in society, together with the need, according to Erwin Josef Ender, apostolic nuncio in the Czech Republic, to “pursue an intensive dialogue with Czech legislators that may lead to the elimination of false concepts and prejudices that obstruct the decisions of Parliament”. One copy of the joint document “Neighbourhood and reconciliation at the heart of Europe” was delivered by Cardinal Vlk to Ramiro Cibrian, President of the EU delegation visiting the country, to testify to the concerns felt by the Catholic Church preceding the referendum on the country’s entry into the Union. Discussion, lastly, focused on the “existence of various currents of thought in the Church”, the low level of juridical protection and confidence in the courts, which needs to be raised, and respect for sentences at all levels, including that of the Government. The current situation of the Church from the viewpoint of respect for the law was also examined.
