On October 6, Dominik Duka underwent emergency surgery at the Central Military Hospital in Prague. He was discharged last week, but had to return to the hospital on Saturday. He was in critical condition, the archdiocese said.
When Cardinal died Dominik Duka?
How old was he at the time of his death?
Where will Cardinal Duka's funeral take place?
What did Cardinal Duka do before becoming archbishop?
Cardinal Dominik Duka is dead. He was Archbishop of Prague and Primate of Bohemia
Duka was a Dominican. He joined the order in 1968 and was ordained a priest two years later. In 1975, he lost the state consent necessary to officially perform his ministry during the communist years. He started working as a draftsman in the Skoda plant, and in 1981 he was imprisoned for illegal pastoral activities, where he met, among others, the future president of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel. In 1986, he became prior and provincial of the Dominicans. He held this office until he became bishop in Hradec Kralove.
Duka became Archbishop of Prague and Primate of the Czech Republic in 2010. He actively participated in negotiations regarding the return of church property taken over by the communist authorities. After 1989, the church property was returned, but without any permanent statutory basis. This issue was settled in 2013, thanks to which the Church received real estate and other assets worth several billion zlotys. He is to receive an additional PLN 8 billion for the unreturned property within 30 years. In return, the state stopped paying the Church money for its activities.
Duka also got involved in resolving the long-standing dispute over the ownership and management of St. Peter's Cathedral. Wit, Wojciech and Wacław on the Castle Hill in Prague. After being taken over by the state in 1950, the temple was managed by the chancellery of the Czechoslovak and later Czech presidents. After long negotiations with the representatives of President Vaclav Klaus, an agreement was reached and the cathedral is currently managed jointly by the archbishopric and the chancellery of the head of state.
The cardinal was known for his conservative views, and his comments on the situation in the country and around the world often aroused controversy not only in the secularized Czech society, but also among other clergy and the faithful. He criticized the administration of the morning-after pill and opposed the staging of plays, which he considered “iconoclastic”. He lost in this case in Czech courts.
He was a friend of Poland. On Śnieżka in the chapel of St. Wawrzyńca, located on the very Polish-Czech border, he celebrated mass for the faithful from both countries. He helped and offered support to Polish priests who served in the Czech Republic. On the occasion of Polish holidays, he often visited the Polish embassy in Prague. He spoke in Polish, which he learned by listening to Radio Free Europe.
The Archbishopric of Prague decided that the coffin with the body of Cardinal Duka will be displayed on November 13-14 in the Church of All Saints in Prague Castle. The funeral will take place in the Cathedral of St. Welcomes November 15.
