Prague Cathedral Belongs To Church, Not State

In the Czech Republic, according to Catholic News Service yesterday, a court has held that St. Vitus Cathedral and surrounding properties in Prague belong to the Catholic Church. This holding reversed an earlier decision that the 660 year old cathedral containing tombs of kings and queens was "built from the dues of people regardless of their religion" and should be regarded as a symbol of the entire nation. On June 16, a Prague Municipal Court judge vindicated the claim of the Church to the cathedral that was nationalized under a 1954 Communist decree, and restored to the Church in a 1994 court ruling which a year later was overturned. In his decision last month, Judge Vladimir Fucik said the church's ownership of the cathedral had never been legally terminated.