Cross manager from Moravia. Graubner faces a difficult task in Prague
When the Vatican sends the current Archbishop of Olomouc to Prague, it may seem that for the newly appointed person it is something like a career shift.
But in this case, the appearance of deception. Not only because the Catholic Church traditionally has a stronger position in Moravia than in Bohemia. The current state of the Prague Archdiocese makes the succession to Dominic Duke a rather ungrateful task.
Jan Graubner, who has been elected by the Vatican for a lifetime, will not be a standard archbishop in Prague, but rather a temporary crisis manager who has been deliberately called from outside.
His predecessor, Duke, has been criticized quite often in recent years for some of his attitudes, most recently for his unfortunate sentences about raped Ukrainian women. Although the cardinal has many opponents within the church, his views and actions were not considered a major problem within the Prague archdiocese. As a result, the internal disputes are less visible, but the stronger the internal disputes.
Disputes behind the palace walls
The current crisis is partly related to the former church economist and administrator Karel Štích, who has worked in the archdiocese since the 1990s, which in turn contributed to the enforcement of church restitutions and enjoyed great authority throughout the Czech Church. Gradually, however, I come into conflict with other experts, who blame him mainly for the wayward promotion of unrealistic ideas about church management.
Even after Štích’s final departure from the palace in Prague’s Hradčany, many of his former collaborators remained in charge of the archdiocese. Some came into conflict with the new leadership, led by Archbishopric Executive Director Antonín Juriga. He has a reputation as an authoritative and suspicious boss with some subordinates, and in the meantime he has broken up with some of his supporters.
According to insider observers, the current atmosphere in the administration of the archdiocese is unbearable.
“In the last year, the Archdiocese of Prague has entered a state of total war. Some accuse the other of stealing property. Priests who are disobedient have their offices down, ”said a man from the church who is directly familiar with the operation.
These disputes did not leak much to the public, perhaps with the excuse of litigation related to a non-profit company Kverulant.orgled by former employee of the Archbishopric Vojtěch Razima. The organization publicly accused Duka, and with him Juriga, of illegally transferring church property to a private foundation.
A pragmatist who can connect
In retrospect, it is difficult to determine whether and what effect these disputes had on Graubner’s appointment. The process of finding new bishops is carefully kept secret, and as a result, the decision is always on the Holy See.
In any case, the new archbishop was elected for an unexpectedly long time, over a year and a half. Originally, the names of other candidates were used in the Czech Church, such as the Bishop of Pilsen, Tomáš Holuba, or his colleague from Hradec Králové, Jan Vokál. In recent months, there has been talk of the rector of the Prague Archbishop’s Seminary, Jan Kotas, or the theologian Jaroslav Brož.
At noon, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the 37th Archbishop of Prague and the 25th Czech Primate J. Exc. Mons. Jan Graubner, the current Archbishop of Olomouc and Metropolitan of Moravia.https://t.co/1diT6UJ8rT
– Church.cz (@CirkevCz) May 13, 2022
The fact that Graubner was finally elected suggests that information about the unflattering conditions in the Prague archdiocese had reached Rome. The current Archbishop of Olomouc is sought after as an authority that could resolve the unbearable situation in Prague – thanks to its strong position in the Czech Church and its pragmatic approach.
“He is capable of some stronger steps and at the same time he will not go openly against his predecessor. At the same time, he does not belong to any specific camp, not even in terms of creeds, he can connect, act rationally, “said the source of the List of News.
This will probably be a short-term task. Next year in August, Graubner will be 75 years old, the age at which bishops resign – unless the pope asks them to stay.
By the way, in 09, when it was decided in 2000 as a possible accession of Miloslav V. to the post of Archbishop of Prague, Graubner declared himself satisfied in Moravia. “In general, I think that a candidate from the Czech Republic is more suitable for the office of Archbishop of Prague,” he said Week magazine.
Jan Graubner grew up in Strážnice. After graduation, he worked as a laborer for a year, then graduated from the Faculty of Theology. He received his ordination in June 1973. He worked as a chaplain in Zlín and Valašské Klobouky. In the years 1982–1990 he was a pastor in Vizovice.
In April 1990, Graubner was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Olomouc and two years later became Archbishop. According to the official resume on the pages of the episcopal conference, it is a matter of restoring the diocesan structure, establishing a number of church schools or building a network of charities. It is also behind traditional events such as the Three Kings Collection and the Days of People of Good Will in Velehrad. From 2000 to 2010 he was the chairman of the Czech Bishops’ Conference, and since 2020 he has been its chairman again.