The Cyrillo-Methodian commission held a meeting at the Archbishopric

23. 11. 2012

Prague: The first swallow of the Cyrillo-Methodian celebrations will be an exhibition opening “Diktatura versus naděje” (Dictatorship versus Hope), which will take place at the Papal university, Santa Croce, on 26th November 2012 at 2 p.m. Its theme is persecution of the Catholic Church in the period of communism. “It is also to remind us of spiritual traditions, thus also of the Cyrillo-Methodian one. It remembers relations with the Vatican in the period of the iron curtain. The exhibition also reminds us of the Year of Faith that is under way,” said Doc. Jaroslav Šebek, one of the co-organizers of the exhibition.

Those who participated in the committee had informed one another about projects they are preparing for the next anniversary year. According to the deputy of the Ministry of Culture, PhDr. Anna Matušková, there are three exhibition projects being prepared under the gestion of musum institutions – in Olomouc, Brno and Prague. The exhibition in Prague will take place in the Monastery of Saint Agnes of Bohemia.

In October, a seminar titled “Cyrillo-Methodian Inspiration” took place at Velehrad. The event, in which 90 teachers from the Czech Republic participated, was considered successful. At the same time, contests were announced – literary and historical ones and also an art contest for pupils from elementary schools or perennial grammar schools. Members of the commission received a calendar of events which various institutions prepare for the anniversary. More events keep being added to the calendar.

One of the activities that react to the upcoming anniversary is a longer-term project titled European Cultural Paths of Saints Cyril and Methodius. One path of such a sort leads through our territory already. It is a Jewish one. The theme of the route planned now is the mission and operation of Saints Cyril and Methodius at various places in Europe. Partners from individual European countries are gradually joining this project. The project is not related only to tourism but also student exchanges are planned as well as research projects. “It is something that should live even after the Anniversary year has finished,” said Pavel Macura, secretary of the commission.

Also two big conferences are planned: one at Stojan’s grammar school at Velehrad, which will take place from 13th to 17th May 2013, with a title “Cyrillo-Methodian Mission and Europe”. The main organizer is the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences in Brno, in cooperation with other workplaces. For the days between 3rd and 7th June, a conference at Charles University in Prague is planned, with a field trip to Velehrad. Its theme is the reflection of the Cyrillo-Methodian tradition from the 19th century to the present. Various fields, including theology, will be represented at that conference.

“We want to conceive the Cyrillo-Methodian celebrations as a return to the times when there was only one Church,” the head of the Orthodox Church, Archbishop Kryštof, emphasized and added, “The Anniversary allows such an approach.” He mentioned the film document about the Solun brothers, which is emerging at this time. “Prague should know that it was also Cyrillo-Methodian and at that time there was only one group of people who called themselves Christians”, the Archbishop went on to say and added, “It is good to show values, which all of us Christians advocate and have in common. Everybody has space to express them in their own way. For example, the Orthodox Church prepares an exhibition of icons.”

Celebrations of the Cyrillo-Methodian anniversary will take place also in Slovakia. They will culminate in the National Cyrillo-Methodian Pilgrimage in Nitra on 5th July 2013 and will be continued with celebrations at Devín. In that connection, at the suggestion of Prof. Piťha, the members of the commission expressed their opinions on the topical situation in Slovakia, where the National Bank issued an official coin in the value of two euros, on which Saints Cyril and Methodius are depicted on request of the European Union without their aureoles, so that “religious neutrality would not be violated”. “This is a fundamental violation of the rights of minorities – in this case, Christians in Europe. Violation of the freedom of expression and the freedom of worship”, said Prof. Petr Piťha. President of the Czech Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Dominik Duka, also expressed his opinion on this issue. Based on the information he received in the course of the session of the commission, he approved of such an attitude and added it was “trampling on the Christian identity in Europe”.