Czech and Slovakian bishops met together

On 22nd–24th October 2013, a common meeting of the Czech and Slovak bishops’ conferences was held in Vranov u Brna. Similar meeting took place six times during the brief history of separate conferences, last of them in 1998. Some thirty bishops as well as the apostolic nuncios to both countries were present this time.

Vranov u Brna: During their common part of the meeting, bishops from both countries dwelt on questions connected with the Church-State relation, evaluated past twenty years and dealt with pastoral matters.

During their separate meeting, members of the Czech Bishops’ Conference spoke about a significant event of the upcoming year – their “ad limina” visit to Rome. They will travel there and meet Pope Francis in February 2014.

To commemorate the 20^th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, celebrated in 1994 by the United Nations, the Catholic Church wants to organize several events that would stress the significance of the family. The most important among them will be a National Pilgrimage of Families to be held in Žďár nad Sázavou in August 2014.

Bishops also discussed the property settlement between the State and churches, evaluated the current situation and spoke about establishing an analytic group to control a responsible management.

They also spoke about a series of local events, especially prayer meetings, to commemorate the centenary of the World War I.

For the upcoming 15^th anniversary of the prison pastoral care, an updated version of a common agreement among all the churches associated in the Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic, covering this pastoral field, is being prepared.

People could meet all the bishops during two masses, celebrated in the cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Brno and in the church of the Assumption in Vranov.

Presidents of both bishops’ conferences, Cardinal Dominik Duka from Prague and Archbishop Stanislav Zvolenský from Bratislava, agreed that the meeting of all bishops contributed to mutual enrichment and deepening of relations and it also offered a testimony about the life of the church in both countries.