Czech Republic: bishops and women religious invite to prayer for solution to political crisis in the country

(Bratislava) “We understand very well the resentment of society over the serious political situation in our country. We invite the faithful to pray for its solution and want to ensure that we support the idea of democracy based on truth, justice, mutual respect and responsibility; to rule means to serve”, reads the statement of the Czech Bishops’ Conference published as a reaction to the current political crisis in the Czech Republic. In the past days, thousands of people have gathered in several regions to demonstrate against the “oligarchic manners” of Finance Minister Andrej Babis and the “autocratic” and “unprecedented” behaviour of President Milos Zeman. Encounters between supporters and critics of both politicians resulted in verbal conflicts. Sr. Vojtecha Zikesova, president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Women’s Religious Orders, invites to unite in prayer for peace on the Czech political scene and to participate in the “spiritual battle for the good of the nation”. On Friday, 19 May, women religious plan to pray for the “justice and wisdom” of the country’s leaders.