No separation of church and state

Published on 23 July 2012 at 12:52

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“Church to receive 37 millions euros from state: no sign of separation,“ headlines Pravda. The Pope's 1st July dismissal of the popular archbishop of Trnava, Róbert Bezák, has prompted a wave of protest and ignited debate over state funding for the church.

In 2012, the Slovak government will hand over 37 million euros to a range of religious organisations, of which 21 million have been earmarked for the Catholic Church, points out the Bratislava daily.

“It is a heavy burden for a country that has to keep a extremely close watch on spending,” remarks Pravda, which deplores the fact that no Slovak government has had the courage to tackle the question of the separation of church and state.

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According to the Bratislava newspaper, controversy over the issue in the traditionally Catholic country has been fueled by the fact that Archbishop Bezák, who is known for his pro-liberal views, was dismissed following his revelation of serious irregularities in the books of the Archdiocese of Trnava during the time of his predecessor. Also, because church-state relations are high on the agenda in the neighbouring Czech Republic, where parliament is debating a bill to compensate churches for property confiscated during the communist era.

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