The heart of Europe

“The Czech Republic is in the geographic and historic heart of Europe. After having experienced the tragedies of the past centuries it now needs to recover faith and hope”. With this reference to recent history Pope Benedict XVI announced the apostolic visit that will bring him to Prague, Brno and Stara Boleslav September 26-28. Father Jan Balik, spokesperson of the Czech Bishops’ Conference for the Papal visit illustrated to SIR Europe the significance of this visit, the current situation in the Czech Republic and the expectations of the local Catholic Church.The Czech Republic is marked by strong secularism that also involves the youth. It is necessary to recover and renew ancient Czech history. From this viewpoint also Stara Boleslav, the place where the Pope will celebrate Mass on September 28 bears historical significance, since it is the place where Saint Wenceslas, who headed Prague’s first State, was killed. The visit of Pope Benedict XVI renews the faith that also in the Czech Republic it is possible to revive people’s hopes, encouraged by recent historical events, which include European unification. As is the case in the rest of the world, in our Country the Pope will encounter a situation marked by a severe economic crisis, that has put many people in a state of distress. In his second encyclical the Pope spoke at length about hope. It is our wish that the words of hope of Benedict XVI be heard not only by us Catholics but also by all people of good will. We note that among the youth there are those who identify with the Catholic Church. In fact, each year some 1500 adults enter the Catholic Church with baptism. Many young people are interested in spiritual values, even though they distinguish between what is Christian and what is not, what is Ecclesiastic and what is alternative.The Pope is a figure capable of communicating to young people who are yearning to probe into spiritual themes. And on September 28, after the Mass in Stara Bosalev, His Holiness will deliver a speech addressed to the youth. As relates the Czech Catholic Church’s expectations from the apostolic visit of Benedict XVI, two major aspects ought to be pointed out: firstly, the fact that the Pope is visiting the Czech Republic in 2009, 20 years after the fall of Communism and at the onset of a new chapter in European history. In 1990 the Church didn’t have a structure of her own, and there were no Catholic schools or newspapers. Since then, the Church has set up a series of activities to the service of people living in our Country. There is a youth centre in all dioceses. We have Catholic publications for children, teenagers and adults. There are Catholic radio and television networks and 80 Catholic schools.The Catholic Church is giving an important contribution to the Czech Republic, despite the current difficulties in the relations between the Catholic Church and the Czech government. The Pope’s visit is an encouragement to the Church and the faithful currently living with the secularized part of the population. It is a thrust for the new evangelization, an invitation not to remain confined inside the churches, since being Christian also means to coexist with others in one’s own Country, in Europe and in the world. This is the message of Christ.