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Pope Benedict XVI said after landing at Prague airport on Saturday that the impact of four decades of Communist repression on eastern Europe should not be underestimated.
At an airport welcoming ceremony he said it was a “particular tragedy” for the Czech Republic that its regime had ruthlessly silenced the Church.
But, in a speech that strongly emphasised the country’s long Christian history, he praised the “courageous martyrs whose fidelity to Christ spoke far louder and more eloquently than the voice of their executioners”.
The speech marked the beginning of his three-day trip to Prague and Brno, the country’s second city. It was the Pope’s 13th trip abroad, and his seventh in Europe. The fact that more than half of his apostolic journeys so far have been to Europe reflects his deep concern for revitalising the continent’s Christian heritage.
He told journalists on board the papal flight that he hoped the Czech Republic’s Christian minority could act as a powerful influence on the rest of the country.
“Normally those who determine the future are the creative minority,” he said. “The Catholic Church must see itself as a creative minority that has a heritage of values that are not passé but are alive and relevant.”
When he arrived at the airport he thanked the crowd, in Czech, for their welcome. He said he was touched by the gifts he had received.
“I_am reminded how deeply Czech culture is permeated by Christianity since, as you know, these items of bread and salt have a particular significance in New Testament imagery,” he said.
The Pope then went on to stress the crucial role of Christianity in shaping Czech culture. He pointed to the ninth-century saints of Cyril and Methodius, Byzantine Greeks who translated the Bible into Old Slavic and were “apostles of the Slavic peoples”.
He said they also met missionaries from the Latin West, and that the Czech region had always been a crossroads in European culture. “Undeniably this has sometimes led to friction, but in the longer term it has proved to be a fruitful encounter. Hence the significant part played by the Czech lands in Europe’s intellectual, cultural and religious history - sometimes as a battleground, more often as a bridge,” he said.
The Pope noted that 2009 was the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, a non-violent revolution which saw the overthrow of the Communist state in Czechoslovakia.
“I join you and your neighbours in giving thanks for your liberation from those oppressive regimes,” he said.
"Nevertheless, the cost of 40 years of political repression is not to be underestimated. A particular tragedy for this land was the ruthless attempt by the Government of that time to silence the voice of the Church.
“Throughout your history, from the time of St Wenceslaus, St Ludmila and St Adalbert to the time of St John Nepomuk, there have been courageous martyrs whose fidelity to Christ spoke far louder and more eloquently than the voice of their executioners.”
The Pope then paid tribute to Cardinal Josef Beran, Archbishop of Prague until his death in 1969, and his successor, Cardinal Frantisek Tomásek, for their “indomitable Christian witness in the face of persecution”.
Cardinal Beran, a survivor of the Dachau concentration camp, was placed under house arrest for ordering clergy not to take an oath of loyalty to the regime and for protesting against the seizure of Church property.
The Pope said: "They, and countless brave priests, religious and lay men and women kept the flame of faith alive in this country. Now that religious freedom has been restored, I call upon all the citizens of this Republic to rediscover the Christian traditions which have shaped their culture, and I invite the Christian community to continue to make its voice heard as the nation addresses the challenges of the new millennium.
“‘Without God, man neither knows which way to go, nor even understands who he is’ (Caritas in Veritate, 78). The truth of the Gospel is indispensable for a healthy society, since it opens us to hope and enables us to discover our inalienable dignity as God’s children.”
catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000654.shtmlThe Pope then addressed the Czech president, Václav Klaus, saying he knew he wished religion had a “greater role” in his country’s affairs. “It is my earnest hope that the light of truth will continue to guide this nation, so blessed throughout its history by the witness of great saints and martyrs.”