Dominik Duka
Encyclopedia
Dominik Jaroslav Duka O.P. (born 26 April 1943, Hradec Králové
, Czechoslovakia
(now Hradec Králové, Czech Republic) is the 36th Archbishop
of Prague since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI
on 13 February 2010. He had previously served as bishop of Hradec Králové.
Duka was born in 1943 in Hradec Králové
. On 6 January 1969 he made temporary profession in the Dominican Order
and on 22 June 1970 he was ordained a priest. For 5 years he worked in various parishes of the archdiocese of Prague and, on 7 January 1972, he made his solemn profession in the Dominican Order.
In 1975 he was deprived of the state authorisation for the sacred ministry, and worked for almost 15 years, in the factories of Škoda Plzeň, as a designer (until 1989 and the collapse of Communism behind the Iron Curtain
). In the meantime, he worked in secret in the Order as a novice master and teacher of theology. He studied at the Theological Faculty of Litoměřice
. In 1979, he obtained a licentiate
in theology at the Theological Faculty of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, Poland. From 1981-82 he was jailed in Plzeň. From 1986-98 he was Provincial of the Dominicans in Bohemia
and Moravia
.
After the fall of communism, Duka was elected Federal President of the Conference of Major Superiors and in the years 1992-1996, Vice-President of the Union of European Conferences of Major Superiors. From 1990-99, he was a lecturer in the Faculty of Theology at the Palacký University in Olomouc
, teaching Introduction to Sacred Scripture and biblical anthropology.
On 6 June 1998 he was appointed as bishop of Hradec Králové and on 26 September 1998 he received episcopal ordination. On 13 February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as archbishop of Prague. On his appointment, Duka said that:
Archbishop Duka was formally installed in Prague Cathedral
and took possession of the see. Archbishop Duka's concerns include the long-standing issue of the restitution of church property, which had been confiscated by the communist regime, and which were either never fully returned or for which the church was never compensated. The Czech Republic is one of the last countries in Europe not to have ratified a treaty with the Holy See.
Bishop (3 March 2011 - )
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(now Hradec Králové, Czech Republic) is the 36th Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Prague since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
on 13 February 2010. He had previously served as bishop of Hradec Králové.
Duka was born in 1943 in Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos...
. On 6 January 1969 he made temporary profession in the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
and on 22 June 1970 he was ordained a priest. For 5 years he worked in various parishes of the archdiocese of Prague and, on 7 January 1972, he made his solemn profession in the Dominican Order.
In 1975 he was deprived of the state authorisation for the sacred ministry, and worked for almost 15 years, in the factories of Škoda Plzeň, as a designer (until 1989 and the collapse of Communism behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
). In the meantime, he worked in secret in the Order as a novice master and teacher of theology. He studied at the Theological Faculty of Litoměřice
Litomerice
Litoměřice is a town at the junction of the rivers Elbe and Ohře in the north part of the Czech Republic, approximately 64 km northwest of Prague....
. In 1979, he obtained a licentiate
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
in theology at the Theological Faculty of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, Poland. From 1981-82 he was jailed in Plzeň. From 1986-98 he was Provincial of the Dominicans in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
.
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, teaching Introduction to Sacred Scripture and biblical anthropology.
On 6 June 1998 he was appointed as bishop of Hradec Králové and on 26 September 1998 he received episcopal ordination. On 13 February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as archbishop of Prague. On his appointment, Duka said that:
"The Church must engage in a dialogue with society and must seek reconciliation with it. Twenty years ago, we were euphoric about freedom; today we live in an economic and financial crisis, and also to a certain extent in a crisis of values. So the tasks are going to be a little more difficult. But thanks to everything that’s been done, it will not be a journey into the unknown."
Archbishop Duka was formally installed in Prague Cathedral
St. Vitus Cathedral
Saint Vitus' Cathedral is as a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prague, and the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral...
and took possession of the see. Archbishop Duka's concerns include the long-standing issue of the restitution of church property, which had been confiscated by the communist regime, and which were either never fully returned or for which the church was never compensated. The Czech Republic is one of the last countries in Europe not to have ratified a treaty with the Holy See.
External links
Bishop (3 March 2011 - )