Miloslav Vlk

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Miloslav Cardinal Vlk, October 2012
signature
Cardinal Vlk at the Adalbert Prize award ceremony, Prague 2009
Coat of arms as the bishop of Budweis
Coat of arms as the Cardinal Archbishop of Prague

Miloslav Cardinal Vlk (born May 17, 1932 in Líšnice near Milevsko , † March 18, 2017 in Prague ) was a Czech clergyman and Roman Catholic Archbishop of Prague . From 1993 to 2001 he was President of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) based in St. Gallen .

Life

Miloslav Vlk attended high school in Budweis , which he graduated from high school in 1952. Because after the February 1948 revolution of the communists in Czechoslovakia, religious freedom was restricted and the Catholic Church was persecuted, Miloslav Vlk was initially unable to study Catholic theology in order to become a priest . He first worked as a fitter in a car factory and then did military service. In 1955 he was able to begin studying archival science at Charles University in Prague , which he completed with a doctorate in 1960 . He then worked for four years as an archivist at various archives in South Bohemia, including as director of the District and State Archives in Budweis.

In 1964 he finally succeeded in studying as a candidate for the priesthood at the theological college in Leitmeritz . On June 23, 1968, the year of efforts to democratize and liberalize Czechoslovakia, Miloslav Vlk was ordained a priest by the later Budweiser Bishop Josef Hlouch , whose secretary he became. After the crackdown on the Prague Spring , he had to leave this position in 1971. 1971 to 1972 he worked as a parish administrator in Lažiště , then until 1978 in Starý Rožmitál . His successful pastoral work and his acceptance and reputation among the faithful soon became politically suspect to the state authorities. From 1978 to 1989 he was banned from any priestly activity.

From 1978 Vlk worked as a window cleaner in Prague for eight years and then as an archivist at a bank. In secret, however, he also worked as a priest and during this time he intensified his contacts with the Focolare Movement , which had been present in what was then Czechoslovakia since the early 1960s.

On January 1, 1989, shortly before the fall of the Wall, he was given back the permission to exercise the priesthood on probation for a period of one year. He became pastor in Žihobce and Bukovník in the Klatovy district and later in Čachrov and at the same time in the parishes of Běšiny , Javorná, Železná Ruda and Strážov .

Bishop of Budweis

On February 14, 1990, Miloslav Vlk was appointed bishop of the Budweis diocese , just one year after his ban on office was lifted . He was ordained bishop on March 31, 1990 by Antonín Liška , who was then Prague's auxiliary bishop and later successor to the Budweis bishopric ; Co- consecrators were Franz Xaver Eder , Bishop of Passau , Franz Žak , Bishop of St. Pölten , Maximilian Aichern , Bishop of Linz , and Ján Sokol , Archbishop of Trnava .

Archbishop of Prague

After the resignation of the Archbishop of Prague František Tomášek , Pope John Paul II appointed Miloslav Vlk as his successor on March 27, 1991. He took up this position on June 1, 1991. In the same year the Czech Bishops' Conference elected him its chairman. Pope John Paul II accepted him on November 26, 1994 as a cardinal priest with the titular church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in the college of cardinals .

From 1993 to 2001 Vlk held the office of President of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences . After the death of Bishop Klaus Hemmerle , Cardinal Vlk succeeded him as the moderator of those bishops associated with the Focolare Movement.

Archbishop Vlk also made great contributions to the reconciliation process between the Czech Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany. He spoke German and Italian and also understood Russian, French, Esperanto and Latin.

When Miloslav Vlk had reached the age of 75 in April 2007, he offered the Pope his resignation from the office of Archbishop of Prague. Pope Benedict XVI however, asked him to stay in office for another two years. On February 13, 2010, Benedict XVI. then submit his resignation.

Cardinal Vlk was the chairman of the International Award Committee of the Adalbert Foundation .

In March 2017 he succumbed to cancer and was buried in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague .

honors and awards

Memberships

Memberships in the Roman Curia

Memberships in clubs

literature

  • Miloslav Vlk: Ripe time. Dietlinde Assmus in conversation with the Archbishop of Prague (=  theology and faith ). 2nd Edition. Neue Stadt, Munich / Zurich / Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-87996-308-8 .
  • Miloslav Vlk, Dietlinde Assmus: “So avanti!” Christianity and the Church in the headwind of the times, Dietlinde Assmuss in conversation with the Archbishop of Prague . Benno, Leipzig 1999, ISBN 3-7462-1318-5 .
  • Miloslav Vlk, Rudolf Kučera : Is Europe going to be pagan? Miloslav Cardinal Vlk in conversation with Rudolf Kučera . Sankt-Ulrich, Augsburg 2000, ISBN 3-929246-42-2 .

Web links

Commons : Miloslav Vlk  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ iDNES.cz: Zemřel Kardinál Vlk. České katolíky vedl 18 let, politiky neměl rád - iDNES.cz , accessed on March 18, 2017 (Czech)
  2. ↑ a b c Entry on Miloslav Vlk on catholic-hierarchy.org
  3. ^ Rinuncia dell'Arcivescovo di Praha (Repubblica Ceca) e nomina di successore , in: Holy See Press Office: Daily Bulletin of February 13, 2010.
  4. ^ Adalbert Foundation: Obituary Miloslav Cardinal Vlk, In. FAZ of March 25, 2017, No. 72, page 7
  5. ↑ Czech Republic: Cardinal Miloslav Vlk has died. Vatican Radio , March 18, 2017, accessed March 25, 2017 .
predecessor Office successor
Josef Hlouch Bishop of Budweis
1990–1991 		Antonín Liška C.Ss.R
František Tomášek Archbishop of Prague
1991–2010 		Dominik Jaroslav Duka OP
Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini SJ President of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences
1993–2001 		Amédée grave OSB
personal data
SURNAME Vlk, Miloslav
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vlk, Miloslav Cardinal (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech clergyman, Bishop of Budweis, Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal
DATE OF BIRTH May 17, 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH Líšnice near Milevsko
DATE OF DEATH 18th March 2017
Place of death Prague