Czech Govt. And Vatican Resolve Dispute

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30364, 13 February 1964, Page 9

Czech Govt. And Vatican Resolve Dispute

(NJZ. Press Association—Copyright)

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 12 Informed Vatican officials said yesterday that the Vatican and the Czech Government had reached an agreement on churchstate matters.

This agreement would include bringing Archbishop Joseph Beran to Rome in March.

Archbishop Beran, the 75-year-old Czech Primate, was released last October after 14 years’ imprisonment. The reports said the Czech Government conceded liberty to bishops in exercising their jurisidiction in their respective dioceses, and that the Holy See agreed not to insist that previously imprisoned or confined bishops return to their Sees.

The agreement would be the first concrete. step achieved under Pope Paul’s reign in the difficult field of Catholic relations with the church behind the Iron Curtain, British United Press said.

Many of the Czech clergy were arrested by the Communists after the 1948 coup on charges of anti-state activities. They were released on signing an oath of allegiance to the Communist Government. British United Press reported. Archbishop Beran was one of those who did not sign, and served as a rallying figure for resistance to the new state ecclesiastical legislation. Of 19 resident bishops in Czechoslovakia, all went to prison and at least one died there.

The Czech concession to the Vatican in the nominating of bishops would be particularly important in the light of the church-state dispute. There were no further details on the how or where the Vatican and the Czech Government reached the agreement, but the reports said it was due to be announced early next month.