Dear Friends,
I welcome you, distinguished representatives of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, who have come to Rome to celebrate a Liturgy of Reconciliation at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the Reformer Jan Hus.
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Six centuries have passed since the day that the renowned preacher and Rector of the University of Prague, Jan Hus, died tragically. Previously in 1999, St John Paul ii, in an intervening international symposium dedicated to this memorable figure, expressed his “profound regret for the cruel death inflicted [on him],” and he numbered him among the Reformers of the Church. In the light of this approach, the study must continue on the person and activity of Jan Hus, who for a long time was the subject of contention among Christians, however today he has become a reason for dialogue. This research, carried out without conditioning of an ideological type, will be an important service to the historical truth, to all Christians and to the whole society, even beyond the boundaries of your Nation.
