Evening star., 1949-09-08
Czech Priests
Defy Proposed
State Control
Measure Coming
Before Parliament
Rejected in Advance
BY the Associated Press

AShNoCs 5SPt' o.-SDCSAAOolO-
vakia's Roman Catholic priests
notified the Communicated gov
ernment today they will oppose all
efforts to bring them and their
church under state control
through new legislation.
The priests rejected in advance
as unfair and anti-social a pro-
posed church law coming before
the national Parliament next
month. This law would give the
government complete control over
the appointments, finances and
administrative affairs of all
churches.
The stand of the Catholic clergy
was expressed in statement sent
to the government and made
available to the Western press by
church sources.
Stand Taken for Showdown.
An accompanying note said
such protests already had been
signed and sent to the government
by 10 per cent of the nations S
Catholic clergy and that Others
are steadily being sent in" There
are about 1000 priests In Czecho-
slovakia.
With this statement, the Cath
olic church apparently took its
stand for what is expected to be
a showdown this fall in Czecho-
slovakia's embittered state-church
fight.
The priests accused the gov
ernment OF maneuvering to get
control of the Catholic church,
flrst by confiscating it's income
bearing lands and thus making it
dependent on support from public
FUNDS and consequently subject to
state controls.
Ihey rejected the governments
demand that all clerical and other
church appointments require prior
government approval.
Already Assailed by Beran,
They asserted they would ac-
cept appointment only from their
church superiors and would rather
sacrifice higher pay or other ben
ef1ts from the state than give up
thelr freedom Of religious action.
Their statement said: 1.-THE
clergy declare that they will Aac-
cept their church appointments
only from the hands Of their free
and unrestricted church superiors. :"
Archbishop Josef Beran, the
nations Catholic primate who
says he has been interned In
his Prague palace since June 1e.
and his bishops have already con-
demned the proposed law. They
said 1t would be a restriction on
religious freedom.
In their protest statement the
priests said they could not "ac-
cept the proposed new law deal
ing with the payment of per-
sonal and material expenses of
the church and religious organ
izations."
Dependence Declared Aim.
The whole purposes of the law.
the clergy said, lis to bring the
spiritual mission Of the church
in complete dependence on polit-
ical agencies and interests"
The statement noted that the
church bill would raise the
clergy's salary in time when,
for various economic difficulties.
it is now being considered to
lower the wages of the worker,
and the insurance benefits of pen
stoned people"
Under such conditions the
clergy freely relinquishes the
benefits of the increase proposed
in the new law. and respectfully
requests the benefits of the
workers and pensioners be retained
at the present level or better still,
improved.
"The new law is, at the
most, anti-social and unfair, and
therefore 1t is necessary under
the circumstances to reject it,"
the priests said.
The priests aimed their heaviest
fire at paragraph II of the pro-
posed law. They said it threatened
destructive sanctions" against
the church and clergy.
Applies to all Denominat tions.
This paragraph provides that
anybody violating the law shall
be fined 10000 crowns ($2, 2,000)
and sentenced to at least six
months in jail.
1T is particularly requested that
the religious freedom of the people
be completely respected and re-
tained," the statement said. las
tsee CZECH, Page A-5D