Proceedings against Orthodox Church in Czech Republic dropped
Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Photo: Wikipedia.cz
The Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia has retained its special rights after administrative proceedings against it were discontinued, UOJ in the Czech Republic reports.
On February 6, 2026, the Czech Ministry of Culture halted proceedings that had been launched on December 2, 2025, amid the economic crisis in the Prague Eparchy. The ministry made the decision after the Church settled all of its obligations to the state and to its employees. Had the case ended differently, the eparchy could have lost the right to register marriages, send chaplains to the army and prisons, and preserve the confidentiality of confession.
Ministry spokesman Petr Šimůnek confirmed that the case had been closed. Despite the repayment of the debts, the Church’s financial situation remains strained. In recent months, staff cuts and dismissals of part of the clergy, including psalmists, have taken place. The dismissal orders were dated March 13, 2026, and signed by Archbishop Michael of Prague and the Czech Lands.
As the UOJ previously reported, the Prague Eparchy had earlier carried out mass dismissals of clergy amid bankruptcy and unpaid wages. The crisis affected not only clerics but also laypeople working in diocesan structures.
Read also
Sand for construction of Yermak’s residence brought from cemetery, MP says
MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that sand illegally removed from a cemetery in Ukrainka was used in the construction of the elite Dynasty cooperative in Kozyn.
Israeli soldiers receive jail terms for mocking statue of the Virgin Mary
Those involved in the act of sacrilege in the village of Debel will spend several weeks behind bars for desecrating a statue of the Mother of God.
Serbian Church officially receives back land of 15th-century monastery
An agreement was signed in Belgrade transferring the territory of the ancient Vojlovica Monastery to the Banat Eparchy.
Pat Daniiel comments on conflict between Phanar bishop and community in Turkey
The Bulgarian Primate believes that the hierarch of the Constantinople Patriarchate should not have forced the Bulgarian community in Edirne to serve in Greek.
Patriarch Bartholomew congratulates Patriarch Shio on his election
In his message of congratulations, Patriarch Bartholomew called for joint witness before the world within the framework of “pan-Orthodox unity.”
Georgian priest in Germany: Patriarch Shio will preserve Ilia II’s legacy
Priest Elias Schlepegrell, who was present at the election in Tbilisi, said there is a clear disposition toward preserving Ilia II’s line and the unity of the Georgian Church.