One third of churches are in a state of disrepair, the church has no money

Prague - According to conservator of the Prague Catholic Archdiocese Vladimír Kelnar, one-third of churches in the Czech lands are in a state of emergency, and therefore hundreds should probably be handed over from the church to owners who will take care of them. The church is not thrilled about this development but does not have enough money to maintain all the churches.
    "We are resisting this trend for as long as we can, but after fifteen years of unresolved issues regarding the return of property, that is, financial difficulties, the condition of the buildings, already devastated during communism, continues to deteriorate," Kelnar told ČTK.
    He described the necessary sale of churches as a painful concession. "If the church had not been driven into a stalemate, it would not have permitted this. But this way there is no other way," he stated, pointing to the owner's obligation to care for the monument. The church would risk conflicts with the law and preservationists.
    The church is not getting rid of large churches, but the cases of small unused churches and chapels in communities with no believers will multiply. However, according to the conservator, it is not always simple: the church would like to hand them over with the condition that they continue to be used for spiritual or cultural purposes.
    A private owner often does not want such a property because they do not intend to operate a non-profit activity. "Communities, on the other hand, generally have cultural intentions, but do not always have enough funding for them," Kelnar said.
    In contracts, the church attempts to embed a requirement for the new owner to uphold such a commitment. However, it lacks tools to ensure that they will actually adhere to it. "It is rather just an ethical appeal," noted the conservator.
    In the Catholic view, a sacred space cannot be "secularized." For churches that no longer serve religious services, the church therefore expects their use to be honorable and appropriate to the character of the place.
    In Mratín in the Prague-East district, the Catholic Church is handing over a small church to the municipality. "It is closed; it is a burden that can no longer be maintained," Kelnar said. The municipality has expressed interest in the property, would like to renovate it, and hold concerts, exhibitions in it - and occasionally, there could also be services there. A similar case is the chapel in Kozinec in the Prague-West district. There, too, the municipality is interested in operating it. According to Kelnar, this is better than if the property were closed or looted.