PM defends return of church property in parliament

Prague, Sept 20 (CTK) - The government bill returning property to churches is consistent with a ruling by the Constitutional Court, it will unfreeze property in towns and villages and will ensure the separation of the state and churches, Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday.

Necas (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) answered the questions of deputy Karel Cerny (opposition Social Democrats) who said that according to the Constitutional Court no wrongs should appear, compensation in kind should be given priority and equality be preserved.

Under the government bill, Czech churches are to be returned land and real estate, now held by the state, worth some 75 billion crowns.

They would have to prove that they are entitled to the property and that it was confiscated from them between February 25, 1948, the day of the Communist coup in then Czechoslovakia, and January 1, 1990, following the fall of the communist regime.

Besides, the churches would get 59 billion crowns over a period of 30 years for real estate held by municipalities, regions or individuals, which is two billion crowns annually. Inflation could raise the total sum up to 96 billion crowns.

Cerny said the government bill was discriminatory.

Necas said the government preferred the unfreezing of the property. Only state-owned property, not that administered by towns, villages, associations or individuals will be released, he added.

Necas said no new wrong would be done as a financial compensation would be made.

Necas said the bill was wider as it related to the general settlement of church-state relations, with the objective of their separation.

He said it was untenable for the clergy to be paid from the state budget as civil servants.

Necas said the property settlement was vital for over 1,100 towns and villages in whose area some property was still frozen. Now it will be possible to use it for economic purposes, he added.

The debate on the bill, rejected by the left-dominated Senate, was adjourned at the ongoing session of the Chamber of Deputies.

($1=19.19 crowns)