Evening star., 1949-08-04
Czech Government
Carries Out Threat
To Imprison Priests
BY the Associated Press

10 I'm prison Priests
BY the Associated Press
PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia, Aug.
4.-Czechoslovakia's Communist
ruled government has carried out
its threat to imprison Roman
Catholic priests accused Of sup
porting the Vatican decree ex-
communicating Catholics who are
militant Communists.
The official Prague radio an
nounced last night that a village
priest had been sentenced to eight
years Imprisonment for treason.
He was accused of refusing to ad-
minister the last sacrament to a
sick old woman until she resigned
from the Communist Party.
The priest, Rev. Alois Fajstl, de-
MED the charge.
It was the first test of the Czech
governments defiant stand against
the accommodation decree. The
Vatican announced last month
that all Catholics who militantly
support Communism would be ex-
communicates church penalty
barring them from receiving the
sacraments and associating with
faithful Catholics.
Treason Trials Threatened.
The government, through Justice
Minister Alexei Cepicka, promptly
threatened that priests who car
ried out the excommunication
decree would be tried on treason
charges.
DR.. H. Richter. president of the
state court which sentenced Father
Fajstl, called the priests action
high treason. He said any priest
refusing religious rites to any per-
son because of political party
membership or loyalty to the state
sis in the service Of an enemy
power the Vatican - aiming to
destroy the peoples democratic
regulations of our state"
In Rome, a Vatican source sug-
gested the Czech trial may have
been a Communist trick to try to
discredit the church and its faith
full" Vatican officials have said
that accommodation is prima-
rily directed at the consciences Of
Wayward Catholics and requires
no official execution by priests.
The Prague radio gave this ac-
count of the charges against the
priest:
Father Fajstl, a priest in the
village of Sebranice. 30 miles east
Of Prague, was called July Is to
administer the church's last
sacraments to Zofie Paclikova, 81,
who was gravely i'll Of pneumonia.
The priest asked the woman
whether she belonged to the Com
munist Party.
Woman Testifies Against Him.
When she replied in the af-
f1rmative," the radio account de-
.clared. Father Fajstl declared
that according to the papal de-
cree of July l3 Communists and
their collaborators are excom-
municated out Of the church and
refused to administer the last sac
rament to the sick woman"
Only after the woman-"in
mortal fear" according to the
radio report-sent her member
ship card back to headquarters
did the priest agree to administer
the church rites.
The woman later recovered and
testified against the priest at the
trial.
In addition to denying the
charge the priest refused to dis
close the nature Of his bedside
talk with the sick woman because
of church vows against telling
confessional secrets.
The court also sentenced Fa-
ther Fajstl to loss Of civil rights
for 10 years and ordered his
property confiscated.
Only Start of Fight, Reds Say.
The Czech Army newspaper
Obrana Lidu said failing Of
Father Fajstl was only the start
of the governments fight against
the accommodation decree.
"This just sentence" the paper
said, must be decisive proof to
the Vatican that we are not afraid
OF its DEGREES and that we shall
be- merciless in the defense Of our
peoples democratic regime"
The publication Of the Czech
Authors Union, Lidove Noviny,
commented: '@The horrifying chain
of events which resulted in
Fajstls deed is a fruit Of reac-
tion-a terrible fruit Of hate
against which we fight, against
which we shall fight to the end
and sweep out"
Communist Trick Charged
In Sentencing Of Priest
VATICAN CITY, Aug. 4 R.-|
A Vatican source said today the
sentence Of a Roman Catholic
priest for allegedly refusing the
last rites to an aged Czechoslovak
woman may be "a Communist
trick to try to discredit the church
and its faithful"
The Vatican informant said last
Sacraments would be refused only