Dominik Jaroslav Duka O.P. (born 26 April 1943 in Hradec Králové) is the 36th Roman Catholic Archbishop of Prague since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 13 February 2010.[1] [2] He had previously served as bishop of Hradec Králové.
Duka was born in 1943 in Hradec Králové. On 6 January 1969 he made temporary profession in the Dominican Order and on 22 June 1970 he was ordained a priest. For 5 years he worked in various parishes of the archdiocese of Prague and, on 7 January 1972, he made his solemn profession in the Dominican Order.
In 1975 he was deprived of the state authorisation for the sacred ministry, and worked for almost 15 years, in the factories of Škoda Plzeň, as a designer (until 1989 and the collapse of Communism behind the Iron Curtain. In the meantime, he worked in secret in the Order as a novice master and teacher of theology. He studied at the Theological Faculty of Litomerice then, in 1979, he obtained a licentiate in theology at the Theological Faculty of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, Poland. In 1981-1982 he was jailed in Pilsen. From 1986 to 1998 he was Provincial of the Dominicans in Bohemia and Moravia.
After the fall of communism Duka was elected Federal President of the Conference of Major Superiors and in the years 1992-1996, Vice-President of the Union of European Conferences of Major Superiors. From 1990 to 1999, he was a lecturer in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Palacký Olomouc, teaching Introduction to Sacred Scripture and biblical anthropology.
On 6 June 1998 he was appointed as bishop of Hradec Králové and on 26 September 1998 he received episcopal ordination. On 13 February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as archbishop of Prague. On his appointment, Duka said that "The Church must engage in a dialogue with society and must seek reconciliation with it. Twenty years ago, we were euphoric about freedom; today we live in an economic and financial crisis, and also to a certain extent in a crisis of values. So the tasks are going to be a little more difficult. But thanks to everything that’s been done, it will not be a journey into the unknown." [3]
Archbishop Duka's concerns include the long-standing issue of the restitution of church property, confiscated by the communist regime and never fully returned or compensated for. Also, the Czech Republic is one of the last countries in Europe not to have ratified a treaty with the Holy See. [4]
Dominik Jaroslav Duka O.P. (born 26 April 1943 in Hradec Králové) is the 36th Archbishop of Prague since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 13 February 2010.[1] [2] He had previously served as bishop of Hradec Králové.
Duka was born in 1943 in Hradec Králové. On 6 January 1969 he made temporary profession in the Dominican Order and on 22 June 1970 he was ordained a priest. For 5 years he worked in various parishes of the archdiocese of Prague and, on 7 January 1972, he made his solemn profession in the Dominican Order.
In 1975 he was deprived of the state authorisation for the sacred ministry, and worked for almost 15 years, in the factories of Škoda Plzeň, as a designer (until 1989 and the collapse of Communism behind the Iron Curtain). In the meantime, he worked in secret in the Order as a novice master and teacher of theology. He studied at the Theological Faculty of Litoměřice then, in 1979, he obtained a licentiate in theology at the Theological Faculty of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, Poland. In 1981-1982 he was jailed in Pilsen. From 1986 to 1998 he was Provincial of the Dominicans in Bohemia and Moravia.
After the fall of communism Duka was elected Federal President of the Conference of Major Superiors and in the years 1992-1996, Vice-President of the Union of European Conferences of Major Superiors. From 1990 to 1999, he was a lecturer in the Faculty of Theology at the Palacký University in Olomouc, teaching Introduction to Sacred Scripture and biblical anthropology.
On 6 June 1998 he was appointed as bishop of Hradec Králové and on 26 September 1998 he received episcopal ordination. On 13 February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as archbishop of Prague. On his appointment, Duka said that:
"The Church must engage in a dialogue with society and must seek reconciliation with it. Twenty years ago, we were euphoric about freedom; today we live in an economic and financial crisis, and also to a certain extent in a crisis of values. So the tasks are going to be a little more difficult. But thanks to everything that’s been done, it will not be a journey into the unknown." [3]
Archbishop Duka's concerns include the long-standing issue of the restitution of church property, confiscated by the communist regime and never fully returned or compensated for. Also, the Czech Republic is one of the last countries in Europe not to have ratified a treaty with the Holy See.[4]
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Miloslav Vlk | Archbishop of Prague 2010–- | Succeeded by - |
   | Dominik Duka entry at www.catholic-hierarchy.org - Bishop Dominik Duka [Catholic-Hierarchy] |
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