At the conference of ZČU and the bishopric, Christianity and patriotism were discussed

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the patriotic sermon of Msgr. Bohumil Stasek at the Church of St. Lawrence near Domažlice, the Bishopric of Pilsen and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen held a conference on National Identity in a United Europe.

"The Christian and patriotic faith are sisters," Bohumil Stasek's famous words were heard in the auditorium of the Faculty of Arts in Jungmannova Street. After the opening speeches of Bishop of Pilsen Tomáš Holub and Rector of the University of ZČU Miroslav Holeček, the first guest, Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University Stanislav Balík, referred to them in his speech. "We need patriotism that is more civil and less strong," he said.

Stanislav Balík was followed by Tomáš Halík, a priest, theologian and philosopher, Tomáš Machula, rector of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Petr Krčál, assistant professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of West Bohemia, and Senator Václav Hampl.

National Identity in a United Europe wanted to recall the figure of the Roman Catholic priest and politician Bohumil Stasek and his courageous patriotic sermon, during which he indirectly challenged the occupation of Czechoslovakia on 13 August 1939. On the basis of this sermon and for his anti-Nazi activities, Stašek was arrested on 1 September 1939 and imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp until the end of the war.

However, the conference papers did not only focus on history, but also asked questions related to today. The speakers discussed with the audience, for example, the nature of the Czech nation and homeland in the context of contemporary issues related to our membership in the European Union.