When I last met with Cardinal Dominik Duka, Christmas was approaching. This time, we spoke in the summer, in his office at the Prague Archdiocese, discussing the new pope and the holidays the Czech Republic celebrates in July.
Did you expect that Robert Francis Prevost would become the 267th pope in history? Who did you think it would be?
Without realizing it, when I congratulated the local Augustinians on the election of the new pope, their prior, Juan Provecho, told me, “You know Prevost! You’ve celebrated Mass with him at St. Thomas Church.” When I was then introduced to the new pope and congratulated him on his election, I realized that he has a certain shyness and humility – the same qualities that one of his predecessors, Benedict XVI, had. Václav Havel, whom I knew well, was like that too. By contrast, Pope Francis was more like Václav Klaus or Miloš Zeman – straightforward, marching head-on into everything. I also see symbolism in Robert Francis Prevost’s election. When the new pope appeared, he was dressed like John Paul II, and it was clear that he has a clear program. Our new pope begins his ministry with a call for peace! Even choosing the name Leo XIV has its own symbolism.
We’ve had a Leo serving the Church here too, haven’t we?
Yes – in 1916, Cardinal Lev (Leo) Skrbenský of Hříště moved from Prague to Olomouc. He opposed World War I. This topic is also important for the current pope – continuing the mission of Pope Francis. Shortly before his death, Francis was taken to pray at St. Peter’s Basilica at the tombs of Pius X and Benedict XV, who did everything they could to end the First World War. It’s well-known that Pius X wrote a letter in which he pleaded on his knees with the emperor: “Stop!”
There have been several significant popes named Leo. What made them remarkable?
The first was Leo the Great – the savior of Rome and the first to be given the title “Pope” (Father of Rome). There were more: Leo III crowned Charlemagne, effectively founding Western civilization. Leo IV fortified Rome against Vandal raids. Leo X may not have been very “saintly,” but he was a patron pope – he turned Rome into a city of scholars, baroque architecture, and culture as we know it today. Then there was Leo XIII, who lived in the Vatican and changed the Church’s politics. He dissolved the Holy Alliance with the Austrian, German, French, and Russian emperors, declaring, “Berlin Germanizes and turns people Protestant, Russia Russifies and turns people Orthodox – we must save the Slavs of Central Europe.” He wrote the encyclical Grande Munus about Cyril and Methodius. He also revived the study program, returning to Thomas Aquinas. At that time, the University of Vienna became the most renowned university for both Catholics and Protestants. He also paid attention to industrialization and the severe social decline of the working classes, however. While they were “somebody” in the countryside, in the cities they became uprooted. People from villages even slept in the workshops where they worked.
You mentioned the missionaries Cyril and Methodius – and on July 5 we celebrate the Day of the Slavic Apostles. What is their significance?
A late legend says they came to Svojanov, where the Křetinka River flows, and even baptized St. Ludmila there. Another legend claims they may have been in Hradec Králové. During their mission in Great Moravia, they established Old Church Slavonic as the liturgical language – for which Constantine created the Glagolitic script. It’s important to see the historical context: the wealth of the Great Moravian Empire at the time was partly based on selling their own people into slavery. The arrival of Christianity and the introduction of worship in an understandable language helped reduce the sale of Slavs into slavery. So, adopting Christianity had both a state-building and civilizational impact. We therefore celebrate not just a Church holiday but also a holiday of culture and statehood.
The next day, July 6, we have the national holiday marking the burning of Jan Hus. He famously criticized wealthy church leaders and the excesses of the nobility. How do you view his mission?
In connection with Jan Hus, it’s worth mentioning theologian and Dominican Jindřich Bieterfeld, who emphasized the importance of love and sexuality in married life, advocating that spouses should receive Holy Communion as often as possible and receive it under both kinds. Jan Hus took a different path – he made a huge contribution to simplifying Czech spelling. Interestingly, he was the first to use diacritical marks – the caron and the acute accent. He also pushed for Czech dominance at university. At the Council of Constance, where he was imprisoned, he had the sympathy of Sigismund and the leading cardinals – but England pushed for him to be condemned as a heretic. Jan Hus wanted to “reform with a whip.” He envisioned a Church made up only of the best of the best. But, as we know, none of us is the best… Hus was stubborn too, and that sealed his fate. Before he was burned, he confessed and said, “If I taught anything wrong, I did not mean to.”
You mentioned Jindřich Bieterfeld, who focused on marriage. How do you view claims that everyone has a right to a child – including two homosexual men?
The Bible clearly says that man is created as male and female and they are compatible. This establishes balance and equality in the world. Of course, each of us is different, but that’s what makes us complement each other. The greatest law is love – wanting the good for the other person, including an unborn child. My colleague here at the Prague Archdiocese is a nun who is also a trained pediatrician – she recently told me beautifully how a baby, during the nine months in the mother’s womb, hears her heartbeat and learns love even there. After birth, the baby is deeply bonded to the mother – recognizing her scent and heartbeat and feeling safe because of it. It can even sense how a man treats a woman. The baby recognizes its father by his voice. For a whole year, the baby depends on the mother – and the more time spent with her in the early years, the better. That’s how God arranged it, and we shouldn’t change it. We all know this instinctively, even as adults. What do we cry out when something happens to us – whether we’re five, ten, twenty, or fifty? We shout “Mom!” And I think this is also one reason why Donald Trump won the election in the United States.
Speaking of childhood – what were your summers like as a child?
Part of my childhood was spent in the city, but from November 1950, we lived in the Pouchov district of Hradec Králové. From the church uphill lived farmers, and downhill lived clerks and officers. Everyone knew everyone – children and adults alike – we were like one big family. My parents kept rabbits and chickens, and of course, I helped. During harvest, I tied sheaves and helped thresh grain. When it rained, we used a blower to clean the grain. I’d bring home two sacks, and my parents were pleased. In the winter, we plucked feathers in the sitting room. It’s true that we boys didn’t have much time for mischief because of all the work – but we felt important. Of course, we also ran around in nature and swam in the summer, but only after the work was done.
Next to the picture of your father, a career soldier, I see interesting swords on your wall. Is that your collection?
Yes – I have a soft spot for such treasures. That’s a replica of St. Peter’s sword – Greek in origin, from the 1st century. Although my father was more of a technical army officer, I was always drawn to his line of work. I wanted to be a pilot, a sailor, a gamekeeper – and also a priest. The dream of flying ended quickly when he explained I had no chance. Same with being a sailor – he said, “You’ll go to Odessa? To the Soviet Union? Or do you want to sail from Mělník to Hamburg on the Elbe? You’ll spend all day moving crates and then sit in a pub at night? You won’t see much of the world.” Being a gamekeeper didn’t work out either, but it used to be a respected job – they were independent, and during the re-Catholicization, the Protestants often stayed in forest lodges and manors. In the end, I became a priest. I never dreamed – nor could I have imagined – that I would one day become a bishop and a cardinal.
At the altar with the current Pope Leo XIV.
CV BOX
His Eminence Dominik Cardinal Duka (born April 26, 1943, in Hradec Králové) is a Dominican clergyman, the 36th Archbishop of Prague, the 24th Primate of Bohemia, and a cardinal.
He graduated from grammar school and then worked at ZVU, where he trained as a mechanical locksmith.
After military service, he began studying theology in 1965.
In January 1968, he entered the secret novitiate of the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest two and a half years later.
In 1975, his state authorization to perform priestly duties was revoked.
In 1981, he was convicted of “obstructing state supervision of churches” and spent 15 months in prison in Plzeň-Bory.
In 1986, he was secretly appointed Provincial of the Czech-Moravian Dominican Province.
Until 1989, he worked as a draftsman.
After 1990, he served as Provincial of the Dominican Order and held the office of President of the Conference of Major Superiors.
In 1998, he was appointed Bishop of the Hradec Králové Diocese.
On February 13, 2010, he was appointed the 36th Archbishop of Prague by Pope Benedict XVI, and two years later was made a cardinal by the Pope.
On October 28, 2016, he was awarded the Order of the White Lion.
The symbol of the cross
Did you know that the first Christian symbol wasn’t the cross? “The first symbol for Christians was the lamb,” explains Dominik Duka. “Jesus is called the ‘Lamb of God’ (Latin: Agnus Dei) because he sacrificed himself for the sins of the world. The second symbol was the fish – specifically the Ichthys – used by early Christians as a secret sign of faith. The cross came later. Its first depiction was on the doors of the Basilica of St. Sabina, one of the oldest churches in Rome. And by the way – the cross is not a symbol of an execution device, as it is often thought to be, but the highest law of love. It symbolizes Jesus Christ, his love for humanity, and his protection.”
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