„Antimodernista“ František Kordač
“Antimodernist” František Kordač

Summary/Abstract: František Kordač (1852–1934) was one of the prominent personalities at the turn of the 19th century. He was a priest, a Neothomist philosopher, a politician. His life and professional career was culminating between 1919 and 1931 when he became the Archbishop of Prague and Czech Primate. His career was influenced by his studies at Gregorian University in Rome. He returned as an advocate of the ultramontane policy of the papal court. At the first place of work in the northern Bohemia (Liberec, Litoměřice) he proved to be an excellent preacher, teacher, nationally tolerant publicist. He gained great merit when he was Head of the Episcopal clerical educational establishment in Litoměřice. Since 1905 he worked as a professor at the Faculty of Theology in Prague. Before WWI he proved his abilities as a politician who tried to integrate fragmented Catholic political parties in Bohemia. The study focuses on Kordač’s attitude to Catholic modernism and the post-war reformist movement of Catholic clergy. He took a negative stand to the reforms of the Catholic Church. His attitude was not motivated by idealization of the internal situation in the Church. He did not identify himself with liberal vein of the reforms and with neglecting the leading role of episcopate. He saw the solution in effort to enhance education and spirituality of the clergy. As an archbishop following the instructions of the Holy See he restrained the reform movement at the beginning of 1920s.

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