Czech Jewish federation sees property return bill as compromise

Prague, July 14 (CTK) - The Czech Federation of Jewish Communities, that participated in the negotiations about return of property to churches, considers the respective bill the Chamber of Deputies has just passed an acceptable and meaningful compromise for both sides, Tomas Kraus told CTK Friday.

Kraus, the federation's secretary, said the federation could have asked much more, but that all wish that the issue be settled already.

Attempts at property settlement between the state and church have been made since the fall of the communist regime in late 1989.

"Not property, but morals are at stake," Kraus said.

He referred to a joint statement that the Czech Bishops' Conference, the Ecumenical Council of Churches and the federation approved last week.

They said "space for political struggle, from which the moral aspect and the essence of the issue, that is rectification of the wrongs committed by the communist regime, have been completely disappeared" was created in parliament.

Kraus said he expects that the left-dominated Senate will veto the bill, but that the Chamber of Deputies will outvote it.

For this, the Chamber of Deputies would need minimally 101 votes in the 200-seat lower house of parliament.

Under the government bill, churches should get back more than a half of the property worth about 75 billion crowns that was confiscated from them under the Czechoslovak communist regime and 59 billion crowns plus inflation are to paid to them in compensation for the rest over a period of 30 years starting next year.

Simultaneously, the state will gradually cease to finance the churches. The transitional period is to last 17 years.

The bill was supported in the Chamber of Deputies by 93 out of 182 deputies present, 89 were against it.

($1=20.839 crowns