Twenty people protest Prague Archbishop's political engagement

Prague, Feb 18 (CTK) - About twenty people met outside the Prague Archbishop's palace yesterday to protest against political activities of the archbishop, Dominik Duka, one of the 22 dignitaries whom the Pope created cardinals in the Vatican's St Peter's Basilica this morning.

Duka, 68, who was presented with the three-pointed hat or biretta, the scarlet cassock, cardinal's ring and the appointing decree at the ceremony, celebrated a mass for some thousand of Czech pilgrims who accompany him on his way to the Vatican, later yesterday.

Duka is the sixth Czech cardinal appointed since 1945 and the 22th in history. The first was Jan Ocko of Vlasim, appointed in 1378.

As a cardinal, Duka will be among those choosing the new pope. The other Czech Cardinal, Miloslav Vlk, will leave the papal conclave after he turns 80 in May.

In an interview broadcast by Czech Television Saturday, Duka said that as a cardinal he would like to to further focus on the question of the family and children's rights.

Duka's titular basilica in Rome, determined by his appointing decree, is the SS Marcellinus and Peter's church.

The protesters in Prague were critical of Duka.

"Above all, Archbishop Duka has extremely strongly expressed his political preferences and he has shown an excessive right-wing orientation, though many Christians do not share this position," one of the organisers of the Prague protest, Pavel Cizinsky, said.

He said some Christians feel that Duka has "misused his office to push through his political stands, though he has gained it for spiritual purposes."

Duka has special relations with President Vaclav Klaus, Cizinsky continued.

"I think there is also many people with whom he [Duka] does not have good relations, to whom he could say something nice but he would not. This is the case of Romanies, for example," Cizinsky said.

His speech was supported by protesters carrying banners with inscriptions such as "We are no pro-Klaus Christians."

Duka became Prague Archbishop and Czech Catholic Primate in early 2010. This January he was among 22 dignitaries from all over the world whom Pope Benedict XVI appointed cardinals.