Communist anti-religious strategy

[Guest guest]

Vaclav Vasko, Unsilenced: A Chronicle of Catholic Church in

Czechoslovakia after WWII, Zvon, Prague 1990

 

10.3.1 Religious situation

 

The balance of two-year fight with the Church was unsatisfying. For no

one. For idelogists, bureaucrats and State Police the Church still

remained a great unknown. Although under the permanent influence of

atheistic propaganda and fear for losing livelihood many people lost

their faith and became even more indolent and churches were

significantly emptied out, from an external look the Church remained a

populous, well-organized and disciplined whole which lived an

inconceivable inner life. Ideologists and functionaries knew from

Lenin and propaganda brochures that religion cannot be overcome by

brute force but by patient tutoring and persuasion. For tutoring and

persuasion they were always disposed but they didn't abound in

intelligence. Patience they never learned. They were successful - if

we don't consider fear, which was the most influential factor - mainly

with people whose faith was based on external displays of religious

feeling.

 

Efforts to cut the Church away from Rome proved as illusory. Devotion

of a great number of Catholics, including priests, to Rome was a

surprise to enemies of the Church. Czech Catholics since long time

recovered from schism and massive breakaway at the beginning of 1920'

and they solidified internally. Despite that the regime managed to

deal the Church several hard-to-heal injuries, among which the robbery

of Church property was the least. Church flourishes in poverty. Worse

was the abolition of Greek Catholic Church, liquidation of

monasteries, isolation of bishops, interference of the state power

into the Church management. The most painful was that enemies managed

to erode the unity of priesthood.