Ecumenical Council explains why it suspended Czech Church

In the Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic, they comment on their decision regarding the PCChZS. Photo: SPZh in the Czech Republic

The Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic has explained why it temporarily suspended the membership of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia (OC Czech Lands and Slovakia). The UOJ editorial team in the Czech Republic published a comment from the Council’s Secretary General, Marian Čop.

According to Čop, the decision was reached following a meeting of the Council’s General Assembly. Among the reasons he named were the Church’s years-long absence from meetings and working groups, unpaid financial contributions, and references made to a report by the Senate Committee on Security.

Čop emphasized that the complete lack of dialogue from the Orthodox side had become a serious signal, which ultimately contributed to the suspension.

The General Assembly’s resolution also referenced the report of the Senate Security Committee of the Czech Republic, which mentioned possible “Russian influence” within the Church. While Čop avoided making direct accusations, he acknowledged that the report’s findings constituted one of the three reasons for the decision: “The information from this report is regarded by the member churches as serious.”

Čop also noted that the Council has not yet received any response from the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

According to the Council’s regulations, membership is suspended for a period of one year with no possibility of early reinstatement.

Čop stated that the Church’s return to the Ecumenical Council in 2026 would be possible only after “fundamental changes.” The Council expects the Church to:

– fulfill its legal obligations toward the state and other parties;
– re-establish communication and participate in meetings of the board and the General Assembly;
– delegate representatives to the Council’s working commissions;
– provide guarantees of stable church governance so that such a situation “will not be repeated.”

As earlier reported by the UOJ, the Orthodox Church of the Czech Republic has been excluded from the country’s Ecumenical Council.

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