PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCHES

Trials with Bishops

In terms of steps needed to be undertaken with the perspective to create a national Church, which would be easily manipulated to its downfall, it was important to prohibit Czech and Slovak bishops from contact with the Vatican. Therefore, the communist regime proceeded to isolate the bishops – part of them was sentenced to long-years in prison while others were imprisoned and isolated from their diocese in their episcopal residences. Their management positions were to be gradually passed onto specialized, state-created, administrative authorities and pro-regime priests. The communist regime also supported priest organization (Mierové hnutie katolíckeho duchovenstva and from 1970 Združenie katolíckych duchovných Pacem in Terris) that collaborated with the communist regime and challenged the authority and jurisdiction of the bishops. The trials with bishops Ján Vojtaššák, Michal Buzalka and Pavol Peter Gojdič started on 10 January 1951 in front of the State Court in Bratislava. The court gave this judgement on the 15 January 1951: „The accused Ján Vojtaššák is sentenced to 24 years in prison, Michal Buzalka for life imprisonment and Pavol Peter Gojdič, according to §1 section 3 of the law No. 231/1948, is also sentenced for life imprisonment“.

„Action K“ – dissolution of monasteries in communist Czechoslovakia – The Barbaric Night

The actual realization of „Action K“ fell under the Secret State Police. As part of the Action, the monasteries underwent a state-security related search and the total number of monks was found out. Members of People´s Militia, National Security Corps and Secret State Police were to take part in the Action. They were armed with rifles, submachine-guns, light machine-guns, batons and gas grenades. The Action was set to start on 13 April 1950 at 12pm. At the arranged time the members of the armed forces started to break into monasteries. After they were successful, the monks were rounded up and informed about the reason behind the Action which was and alleged anti-state activity of the various orders. The monks were subsequently transported by pre-stationed buses and lorries to so-called concentration monasteries. On that night, throughout the whole Slovakia, 881 monks from 11 orders were transferred. Following „Action K“, on the night of 3 – 4 May 1950, as part of „Action K2“, the rest of the male monasteries met the same fate. Due to these two interventions, 1 180 monks from 15 orders, living in 75 monasteries were affected in total. Following these two Actions, the monks were concentrated in monasteries in Mučeníky (now Močenok), Hronský Beňadik, Podolínec, Kostolná and in Báč. The conditions and the regime inside these monasteries were not all that different from prisons. The strictest regime was in Podolínec, where the majority of the monks were held. The premises were guarded by armed guards with attack dogs. The actuals building of the monastery was gradually changed to include barred windows and barbed wire. A guard tower was erected in the courtyard and at night, the surroundings were illuminated by spotlights. The monks, who violated the set rules were punished by solitary confinement in the cellar.

„Action R“ – dissolution of female orders

After the realization of „Action K“, the attention turned to female orders. The dissolution of female monasteries was dubbed „Action R“ (rehoľníčky – nuns). In their case, the approach was to be milder, i.e. there was to be „voluntary“ transfer. The Action itself began on 29 August 1950 at 8am. However, during its realization, at about 15 places in Slovakia, a large number of people have congregated to voice their displeasure with the dissolution of religious communities. There were numerous confrontations and conflicts with the government officials that were present. The Action in the women monasteries was repeated at night with the involvement of People´s Militia, National Security Corps, Secret State Police and Church secretaries for respective County and District National Committees. „Action R“, which ran from 28 to 31 August 1950, resulted in the concentration of 1 962 nuns and occupation of 137 objects. The nuns were concentrated in 16 concentration monasteries. However, another 1 600 nuns kept working in hospitals, as the regime could not find a suitable replacement for them. Following the occupation of the monasteries many libraries and various other invaluable manuscripts, prints, messages, paintings and furniture were destroyed by way of poor handling. The buildings themselves were acquired by County and District National Committees, various administrative agencies, sports associations, orphanages etc.. The communist regime viewed religious orders as a dangerous ideological enemy, which had a big influence on the masses. There was also the case of movable property and real estate, which was managed by the orders. In a report to political secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, which summarized the acquired material, the result of the action was viewed as the biggest transfer of assets since the time of appropriation of property of the Germans, „nationalization“ and land reform. In other words, it was the third biggest theft since 1945. The cruelest result was the painful fate of thousands of monks and nuns, which became a persecuted group of people for several decades.

Many of the bishops, priests and layman religious activists found themselves, after manipulated court trials, with long prison sentences. The believers of Czechoslovakia were, during the four decade rule of the communist regime, a discriminated group with limited possibilities for social applicability.