The lower house of Parliament passed a controversial church restitution bill this week that will return CZK 75bn worth of church properties confiscated under communism. “Churches are ready to manage the property,” Sandra Silná, secretary general of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, said in a ČTK report. President Václav Klaus still has to sign the bill. Prague archbishop Dominik Duka praised the bill Thursday, saying it paves the way for good relations between the state and churches. The Czech press, meanwhile, is speculating about what role churches will play on the Czech property market. The properties will no doubt attract investor attention, and are expected to create new jobs.
