The Church in Czechoslovakia
The Government of Czechoslovakia may take what comfort it can from the fact that it has now appointed Mr. Alexei Cepicka to be the head of the new State Department controlling Church affairs. The pretensions of any such organisation are completely hollow. That has been made plain in advance by the repeated protests of the clergy. Nor is the announcement by the Roman Catholic hierarchy that priests may take an oath of loyalty to the Communist regime, and in future 'receive their salaries from that regime, inconsistent with the attitude previously taken up by the Church. As has been pointed out in this journal before, defiance of the civil authorities is no part of the Christian stand, unless the claims of those authorities arc extended into the purely religious sphere, and the Czech priests are required by their bishops to add to their oath of allegiance to the State the words "Provided that this is not in conflict with the laws of God and the Church and with the natural rights of man." No Christian can claim more. No civilised State could grant less. That is not to say that the new Czech Ministry for Church Affairs will now rest contented, or that Communist attempts to interfere with Christian life will cease. But the Roman Catholics in Czechoslovakia have nothing with which to reproach themselves for the stand they have taken. It was just as inevitable that the priests should seek some way of working with the State as it was that trial and condemnation of Cardinal Mindszenty in Hungary should in the end be accepted, for somehow Christianity has to be carried forward in Eastern Europe even in the face of persecution.
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