Decades after his death, the district court in Olomouc of the Czech Republic has formally recognized former Archbishop Josef Karel Matocha’s persecution, which was effectively house arrest, as unlawful.
In 1950, Matocha was not convicted of any crime, but the communist state of Czechoslovakia forced him to remain within the archbishop’s palace. He was only allowed infrequent visits to the gardens outside and he was not allowed to read the newspaper or listen to the radio.
Matocha was not allowed telephone calls, and he could not read books or personal letters. Although initially he was allowed to have a barber cut his hair, this was eventually taken away from him, too. He was prohibited from attending his own sister’s funeral.
After eleven years of this form of imprisonment, Matocha died of a heart attack due to lack of medical care.
Prior to his internment, Matocha was appointed Archbishop of Olomouc in March 1948, about a month after Czechoslavia officially became a communist state. Knowing the impending persecution of religion, Matocha still pursued the duties of his office with zeal, making daily visits to his community and frequently preaching.
The 1950s is recognized as the bloodiest decade in Czechoslovakia under the communist regime, and Catholic clergy and laypeople were systematically targeted and persecuted.
Just last week, two Catholic priests were beatified and recognized as martyrs after being hanged in a show trial in 1952. During Operation K, monasteries across the country were raided and more than 2,300 monks were incarcerated.
The communist regime finally fell in Czechoslovakia in 1989.
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