Prague, Czech Republic - The Ecumenical Council of Churches has asked President Vaclav Klaus not to sign the amendment to the law on churches in an open letter released to CTK yesterday.
The Senate has vetoed the amendment, but last weak the Chamber of Deputies overrode the veto and passed again the bill that defines the registration of charities.
The amendment was pushed through by the votes of the senior ruling Social Democrats (CSSD) and the junior opposition Communists (KSCM) who together have a clear majority in the lower house.
Churches point out that the amendment again include some controversial articles which the Constitutional Court cancelled two years ago.
The dispute concerns the churches' right to establish religious and other institutions, such as charity organisations, schools and health care facilities, according to their own rules.
"As we do not want the health care, social and educational facilities that were built up again with immense efforts in the past years to be separated from churches again, we ask you to refuse to sign the amendment that cannot stand the test in a democratic society," the churches' letter says.
Two years ago, the Constitutional Court cancelled the part of the law on control over the establishment of new church entities.
"The entire church law was written without a partner's dialogue with churches and their opinions were not taken into consideration during the work on the amendment," the Ecumenical Council says.
Disputes between the churches and the Culture Ministry have so far concerned only finances and the legislation created by the ministry's church section.
New Culture Minister Vitezslav Jandak allegedly opposed the passage of the amendment, and information surfaced that he decided to dismiss church section head Jana Repova, but he did not do so in the end.
Church representatives have complained about Repova for years, saying that she, as a former adviser to Vaclav Klaus when he occupied the post of lower house chairman, could have rejected proposals for a new model of relations between the state and churches. Repova has dismissed it.
Moreover, other problems in the sate-churches relations are unresolved restitutions and the future model of funding and cooperation.
The churches' open letter to Klaus has also been sent to Jandak, PM Svatopluk Karasek, government human rights commissioner, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference.
The Czech Catholic Charity, too, insists that the amendment to the church law is at variance with democratic principles as it violates the constitution. That is why, the bill is likely to end up at the Constitutional Court.