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Dominik Duka

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His Eminence

Dominik Duka

O.P.
Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Prague
Duka in 2014
ArchdiocesePrague
Appointed13 February 2010
Installed10 April 2010
Term ended13 May 2022
PredecessorMiloslav Vlk
SuccessorJan Graubner
Other postCardinal-Priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro
Previous posts
  • Bishop of Hradec Králové (1998–2010)
  • Apostolic Administrator of Litoměřice (2004–2008)
  • Archbishop of Prague (2010–2022)
Orders
Ordination22 June 1970
by Štěpán Trochta
Consecration26 September 1998
by Karel Otčenášek
Created cardinal18 February 2012
by Benedict XVI
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born(1943-04-26)26 April 1943
Hradec Králové, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Died4 November 2025(2025-11-04) (aged 82)
Prague, Czech Republic
NationalityCzech
DenominationCatholic
Motto
  • In Spiritu Veritatis
  • "In the Spirit of Truth"
SignatureDominik Duka's signature
Coat of arms
Styles of
Dominik Duka
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal

Dominik Jaroslav Duka, O.P. (26 April 1943 – 4 November 2025) was a Czech Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Prague from 2010 to 2022.[1] He was made a cardinal in 2012.[2] He was also a member of the Dominican Order.

Duka served as Bishop of Hradec Králové from 1998 to 2010. He was the spiritual protector and chaplain general of the Orléans obedience of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem from 2012 to 2021.

Early life

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Duka was born on 26 April 1943 in Hradec Králové in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (now in the Czech Republic). His father was an army officer who fought for the allied forces in World War II, based at RAF Cosford, who was later imprisoned in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s.[3] Duka graduated from Tyl Grammar School in Hradec Králové in 1960 and worked in a factory and as an apprentice locksmith before entering military service from 1962 to 1964.[3]

On 6 January 1969 he made his temporary profession as a member of the Dominicans and on 22 June 1970 he was ordained a priest by Cardinal Štěpán Trochta, Bishop of Litoměřice. For five years he worked in parishes of the Archdiocese of Prague and, on 7 January 1972, he made his solemn profession as a Dominican.[3]

In 1975, the Communist government of Czechoslovakia revoked Duka's authorization to work as a priest. From then until the Velvet Revolution in 1989, Duka worked as a designer at the Škoda factory in Plzeň. At the same time he continued to work secretly as a Dominican and was elected Vicar Provincial, serving from 1975 until 1987.[3] From 1976 to 1981, he served as a master of the clergy.[3][4] In 1979, he obtained a licentiate in theology at the Theological Faculty of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, Poland.[3]

As a result of his activities with the Dominicans and his involvement in the publication of unauthorised samizdat literature,[3] he was imprisoned in Bory Prison in Plzeň from 1981 to 1982, where his fellow prisoners included future Czech President Václav Havel.[5] While in prison, Duka conducted a clandestine mass for other prisoners disguised as a chess club.[5] From 1986 to 1998 he was Prior Provincial of the Dominicans in Bohemia and Moravia.[3] From 1990 to 1998, he was a lecturer in the Faculty of Theology at Palacký University in Olomouc, teaching Introduction to Sacred Scripture and biblical anthropology.[3]

Duka was elected to a three-year term as president of the Conference of Major Superiors of the Czech Republic in 1989. From 1992 to 1996 he was vice president of the Union of European Conferences of Major Superiors.[4]

Bishop

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On 6 June 1998 Duka was appointed bishop of Hradec Králové. He received episcopal consecration on 26 September 1998. On 13 February 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Prague.[3] Duka was installed in Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral. On his appointment, Duka said:

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.[6]

One of Duka's chief concerns was the long-standing issue of the restitution of church property, which had been confiscated by the communist regime and which was either never fully returned or for which the church never received compensation. The Czech Republic is one of the last countries in Europe not to have ratified a treaty with the Holy See.[6] After previous attempts at an agreement had failed –most notably in 2008 under Cardinal Miloslav Vlk –the Czech government in mid-January 2012 agreed to a compensation plan, under which the country's seventeen churches, both Catholic and Protestant, would get 56% of their former property now held by the state, an amount estimated at 75 billion koruna ($3.7 billion), and another 59 billion koruna ($2.9 billion) in financial compensation paid over the next thirty years. The state will also gradually stop covering the churches' expenses over the next seventeen years.[7]

On 23 December 2011, Duka presided at the funeral liturgy of Václav Havel.[8]

Cardinal

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On 18 February 2012, Duka was made cardinal priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro by Pope Benedict XVI.[9] On 21 April 2012, he was appointed a member of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.[10]

Duka was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.[11]

Duka contributed to a book Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family which urged fellow church leaders to maintain the church's rules regarding marriage and strengthen Catholic education about marriage and family life. The book was released before the world Synod of Bishops on the family in October 2015.[12]

In May 2016, Duka claimed that the pope could not fully understand the refugee crisis because he is not from Europe.[13] Duka frequently spoke against Muslim immigration into Europe and said that Muslims can only be considered a "safe presence" if they make up less than five percent of the population.[13]

Duka gives U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a private tour of St. Wenceslas Chapel inside St. Vitus Cathedral on 12 August 2020.

In August 2015, Duka banned a conference by Jeannine Gramick, an American nun specialising in pastoral care for LGBT people, as well as the screening of a Polish film about a homosexual priest. In a statement setting out his objections, Duka said: "Most participants are not believers and have no intention of addressing their relationship with the Church. Since I do not think people with this sexual orientation are discriminated against in our country, it is not right for us to advocate things which are in direct conflict with the Catholic Church’s teachings."[14]

Duka had several clashes with theologian and dissident Tomáš Halík. In 2016, Halík criticized Duka for allegedly dissociating himself from the pope and for being too close to the Czech president Miloš Zeman.[15] They also disagreed on Islam and its "violent tendencies".[16] Halík also criticized Duka in October 2016, for accepting the highest state award from President Miloš Zeman.[17]

In February 2018, a group of Czech Catholic laymen wrote a letter to Pope Francis, expressing concern about Duka's closeness to Czech politicians including Václav Klaus, Miloš Zeman and Tomio Okamura, and urging him not to extend Duka's term as archbishop when he submitted his resignation as required upon turning 75 in April 2018.[18] On 13 May 2022, Pope Francis accepted his resignation as archbishop.[19]

Later life and death

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On 18 September 2025, Cardinal Duka celebrated a Requiem mass for murdered American political activist Charlie Kirk at the Church of Our Lady before Týn. The mass was attended by hundreds of worshippers, including politicians, while dozens of demonstrators gathered in front of the Church to hold banners describing Kirk as "fascist, racist and sexist".[20] Catholic historian Jaroslav Šebek criticized Duka for celebrating a mass with a "political dimension".[21]

Duka died on 4 November 2025 at the age of 82, a day after being hospitalised at the Central Military Hospital in Prague where he had undergone surgery several weeks earlier.[22][23]

Awards and honours

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References

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  1. ^ "České katolíky povede Duka, papež mu svěřil úřad arcibiskupa" (in Czech). iDnes. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  2. ^ "Z Dominika Duky je kardinál. Jmenoval ho papež Benedikt XVI" (in Czech). 6 January 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Biography: Msgr. ThLic. Dominik Jaroslav Duka OP". dominikduda.cz. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b "kardinál Mons. Dominik Duka OP". Česká biskupská konference. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  5. ^ a b Zantovsky (2014) p.234-235
  6. ^ a b Richter, Jan (15 February 2010). "The Vatican appoints Dominik Duka new archbishop of Prague". Radio Prague. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  7. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Václav Havel funeral draws world leaders and hundreds of mourners". The Guardian. Associated Press. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Assegnazione dei Titoli e delle Diaconie ai nuovi Cardinali" [Assignment of Titles and Deaconries to the new Cardinals]. The Holy See (in Italian). Ufficio delle Celebrazioni Liturgiche del Sommo Pontefice. 18 February 2012. Archived from the original on 21 July 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 21.04.2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Elenco dei Cardinali che entrano in Conclave secondo il loro rispettivo ordine e precedenza (Vescovi, Presbiteri, Diaconi)" [List of Cardinals entering into Conclave according to their respective order of precedence (Bishops, Priests, Deacons)]. Sala Stampa della Santa Sede (in Italian). 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  12. ^ Wooden, Cindy (31 August 2015). "Eleven cardinals urge maintaining church rules on marriage". Catholic News Service. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  13. ^ a b Pazderka, Josef; Smith, Sean (9 May 2016). "Cardinal claims Pope can't understand refugee crisis because he is not from Europe". The Tablet. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  14. ^ Luxmoore, Jonathan (6 August 2015). "Czech cardinal clashes with Templeton winner over gay rights". Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  15. ^ Houda, Přemysl (2 July 2018). "Halík: Kardinál Duka si v 21. století hraje na baroko". Česká pozice. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  16. ^ "Czech cardinal calls for frank dialogue on causes of terrorism". catholicculture.org. 10 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Holocaust survivor denied Czech award in government spat". The Times of Israel. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  18. ^ Fraňková, Ruth (13 February 2018). "Czech Catholics call for top archbishop to stand down". Radio Prague. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Rinunce e nomine, 13.05.2022" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  20. ^ "Cardinal Duka criticised for celebrating Requiem Mass for Charlie Kirk in Prague". thecatholicherald.com. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  21. ^ Lazarová, Daniela (16 September 2025). "Mass in Prague for slain American influencer Charlie Kirk". Radio Prague International. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  22. ^ Pohanka, Vít (4 November 2025). "Czech Cardinal Dominik Duka dies at 82". Radio Prague International. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  23. ^ "Zemřel kardinál Dominik Duka, bylo mu 82 let". CNN Prima News (in Czech). Prima F. T. V. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  24. ^ iDNES.cz, ČTK (20 September 2012). "Francie ocenila kardinála Duku nejvyšším vyznamenáním z dob Napoleona". iDNES.cz. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  25. ^ "Kardinál Dominik Duka obdržel Řád bílého lva – Církev.cz | Zprávy".
  26. ^ "Kardinál Duka sloužil mši svatou pro lazariány" (in Czech). 17 September 2012. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  27. ^ "Prohlášení Velmistra k řádové situaci v ČR". Oslj.cz. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Mezinárodní ocenění kardinála Dominika Duky". Apha (in Czech). 20 November 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.

Bibliography

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Wikiquote has quotations related to Dominik Duka.
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Hradec Kralove
6 June 1998 – 13 February 2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Archbishop of Prague
13 February 2010 – 13 May 2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cardinal-Priest of Santi Marcellino e Pietro
18 February 2012 – 4 November 2025 		Vacant
Preceded by Spiritual Protector and Chaplain General of the Order of st. Lazarus
14 September 2012 – 1 January 2021 		Succeeded by
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