Kultúrna činnosť katolíckej cirkvi v Československu v rokoch 1945 – 1948 : analýza kultúrnych časopisov Nová práca a Verbum
Cultural Activities of the Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia in 1945–1948 : Analysis of the Cultural Periodicals Nová práca and Verbum

Summary/Abstract: The paper seeks to trace the Catholic Church’s relationship to the Czechoslovak State in the period after the end of the Second World War, from 1945 to February 1948, when the Communist Party offcially seized all political power in the state. The Catholic religious and cultural periodicals Nová práca and Verbum as well as the archival resources that have been preserved serve as historical documentation in this respect. Analysis of the documents shows that already in 1945–1948 the Constitution and democratic laws were not being observed in Czechoslovakia. This period can be considered a pre-totalitarian phase during which the Communist Party prepared systematically for the seizure of power.After World War II, Czechoslovakia was included in the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union. As a result, the Czechoslovak Communist Party seized power ‘over the branch’. As early as in the ‘people’s democratic’ period, the Communist Party tried to weaken the influence of the Church (as well as that of other institutions based on the democratic spirit) by state measures which were by their nature undemocratic, totalitarian. They can be explained only as the frst steps in the enforcement of ideological measures hostile to religion (laicization of church schools, banning the activities of Catholic associations, surveillance of the activities of religious persons), because it was not a matter of political, but of religious, educational, charitable institutions which are by their pastoral character proper to the nature of the Catholic Church. The Church’s protest against such control was interpreted as a manifestation of political, reactionary Catholicism. Despite the declaration of institutional rights, already in 1945–1948 social reality gave proof of undemocratic practice, in which some institutional rights could not be asserted and were not enforceable. This is also indicated by the fact that despite the still-functioning democratic mechanisms (general elections), political power gradually became concentrated, also by undemocratic means, in the hands of a single political authority, the Communist Party, which is one of the frst signs of totalitarian rule. In the three years, 1945 to 1948, Catholic writers and editors were allowed to write, publish and express their views. Already in this period, however, the freedom of speech was constantly hampered and restricted by directives from the Ministry of Information. Thus, this political organ created in the editors of printed media an atmosphere of fear and exerted pressure on them not to fulfl their social-critical function. This became forceful towards the editorship of Nová práca in the last period of its publication (1947–1948). The editors opted for a guarded position, though not at the price of disrespect for the offcial standpoint of the Catholic Church. They saw it as a strategy the objective of which was to preserve this printed platform for Catholic intellectuals. This eventually proved to be illusory in March 1948.A literary-historical or a wider cultural investigation aimed at Nová práca, Verbum and the publishing houses of the St. Adalbert’s Society and Verbum sheds light on the Catholic Church in its dashing post-war strength. Despite the Communist Party’s intention, within the three years, 1945 to 1948, it was not able to gain ideological control over either St. Adalbert’s Society or the magazine Nová práca, and certainly not over the publishing-house and magazine Verbum. The editorial board of Nová práca certainly took a much more guarded attitude in its relationship to state power than the editors of Verbum. The two parallel Catholic cultural magazines are an important example of the multi-voice pluralism within the postwar Catholic Church. The cultural contribution of the Catholic magazines Nová práca and Verbum is shown in the sphere of social as well as of cultural journalism. The ability of the editors to reflect on the burning issues of the time and to react to them is also shown in the area of practical Christian spirituality. The aims of the editorial boards of both periodicals differed to some extent: Nová práca was primarily a religious magazine with strong social objectives. Against the left-wing press organs it offered an alternative view of contemporary social and communal reality: it reflected the contemporary observations of social sciences (e.g. sociology) and at the same time referred to papal encyclicals that were critical towards communism and liberalism. As the St. Adalbert’s Society’s review, in its view of literature Nová práca accepted religious utilitarianism, as reflected in its literary reviews and contributions. Despite this, its young contributors included a number of talented writers who had potential (and ambition) to write literature of artistic value. On the other hand, Verbum was primarily a cultural magazine. The intention of its editors was to adapt the magazine to the world cultural and literary scene as a review based on Christian values. In principle, they refused religious utilitarianism in literature: their aim was to bring spiritual values into literature characterized by artistic creativity; the editors of Verbum were realizing that if they wanted to attract readers they had to convince them of their quality. The historical signifcance of Verbum also consisted in its explicitly socio-critical function, which, in view of the authoritative instructions from the Commission for Information, was a proof of civic courage.The signifcance of the publishing houses (St. Adalbert’s Society, Verbum) is equally indicative in the sphere of book culture. The Verbum Press enriched the literary scene with new authors and selections in translation, but also with a range of books with spiritual purpose that reacted to the theological trends in contemporary Europe (e.g. the liturgical movement). Despite its more conservative orientation, St. Adalbert’s Society also succeeded in publishing a range of worthwhile novels, especially translated ones. These publishing houses and the two magazines strove to promote the orientation within the Catholic Church in Slovakia which fnally would open out into the Second Vatican Council.

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