Towards the future with head held high” “

The first session of the ‘Synod of the Church in the Czech Republic’ will be held at the sanctuary of Velehrad, in Moravia, from 6 to 12 July 2003. Theme of the Synod: “Let’s not deprive ourselves of our future!”. The Synod will be attended by the bishops of the country, the rectors of the seminaries and faculties of theology, representatives of the male and female religious congregations, and delegates of the laity. This is the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that the Czech Church is meeting together to reflect on the significance of Vatican Council II for the local Church and on its future prospects. Other issues to be tackled during the Synod, which is due to be prolonged for three years, include evangelization and initiation in Christian life, social apostolate, the pastoral care of the sick and the elderly, the mission of the laity, and interreligious dialogue. There will also be scope for reflection on Czech history and the role of the Catholic Church in the European Union. The synod will be chaired by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, assisted (in the role of deputy chairman) by the archbishop of Olomouc, Msgr. Jan Graubner , president of the Czech Bishops’ Conference. We put some questions to Archbishop Graubner. What does this event mean for the Czech Church? “After the fall of the iron curtain, the Church found itself in a new situation. There are various enriching ecclesial experiences, even if the Church lacks the development that has taken place in the Churches of other countries. During the persecution we lost the lay structures of the Church and our faithful became inured to their expulsion from public life. However, today we must not confine ourselves just to achieving what we could not have before”. What issues will you tackle in the Synod? “In the preparatory phase hundreds of synodal work groups were created. Discussion in them focused on the nature of the Church, the Church in the modern world, the liturgy and the Bible. The theme of the instrumentum laboris, “Let’s not deprive ourselves of our future”, emerged from this preparatory work. It’s divided into three spheres: the spiritual reading of the history of the Czech Republic, the theological and ecclesiological point of departure for the future direction of the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic, and the fundamental principles for the development of the pastoral ministry”. Can you briefly profile the Czech Church on the eve of the Synod? “Our Church lost a great deal in past years, but has shown that it is able to withstand violent totalitarian regimes. However ‘modest’, it has experienced the mystery of the cross and preserved a salutary popular piety, especially in terms of Marian devotion. But now it needs to raise its head, to gain awareness of its own values, to express its willingness and transmit its enthusiasm by sharing the treasures of the faith with others, and to bring the Gospel into society. But to enable it to do so, the Church needs the necessary formation and education”. The country’s entry into the EU is an historic moment also for the Czech Church… “EU entry means for the Church new needs and responsibilities. The strength to answer the question: ‘What is the Spirit saying to the Churches today?’ is linked to what our society is experiencing; that includes entry into the EU”. What is the Czech Church hoping to achieve with this Synod? “The first results already became tangible in the synodal work groups. Many wish to continue these groups as communities of prayer and friendship. The synodal work, demanding and laborious, teaches us the virtues of dialogue and collaboration. Another hoped-for result is unity in defining our priorities for future years”.