PRAGUE (CZECHIA)
Catholic Media Center - Swiss Bishops' Conference [Zürich, Switzerland]
February 6, 2023
By Annalena Mueller
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich calls for inclusion on the first day of the European Synod. Shortly thereafter, six police officers in protective gear appear. The reason: LGBTQ activist Ladislav Koubek is distributing flyers in the hotel lobby. He wants LGBTQ and abuse victims to finally be heard in the Czech church. He is both.
[Google translation of German-language report from the Catholic Media Center of the Swiss bishops’ conference. Screen image from a Twitter video included in the report, showing Ladislav Koubek removed from the hotel of the European Synod by police. See below in the cached copy of the article for an image of Koubek’s flyer in English.]
“The church must bring Christ to all people, whether they meet our moral standards or not. Whether we like them or whether we don’t like them. God is greater than our human heart.” This is how Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, Jesuit and confidant of the Pope, ends his sermon on Monday morning.
Rejection and silence
Just one hour later, six armed police officers expelled a man from the conference hotel. He had handed out notes to the delegates telling his story. A history of institutional rejection.
Ladislav Koubek (42) lives with his partner in Prague and is the father of a two-year-old son. In the past he has repeatedly turned to the church for help. There he only encountered rejection and silence, he says in an interview with kath.ch.
Priest does not want to baptize the child
When he becomes aware of his homosexuality, priests tell him to seek healing. Or they ignore him. Three years ago, Koubek contacted the Bishop of Brno. He tells him about the abuse he experienced as a teenager at the hands of a local church worker. The bishop was empathetic, but did nothing, says Koubek.
When Koubek’s son was born two years ago, the two fathers wanted to have the baby christened. The date is already set. But on the day of the birth, the priest publicly condemned the gay couple in the mass and announced that he would not have the boy baptized. He says nothing to the two fathers. Shortly thereafter, Koubek, who was the organist in Velká Bíteš for 20 years, has to hand over the keys to the church. The young father is no longer wanted here.
Lost his faith, but he wants to fight for others
These experiences hurt Koubek deeply. In an interview with kath.ch he says that he lost his faith about it. Still, he wants to fight. It shouldn’t happen to others like him.
But the Czech Church wants people like Koubek to remain silent. It was their local representatives who called the police. In the conference room, the German Bishop Georg Bätzing asks where those affected by abuse and abuse of power are. Outside, the police tell Koubek that he is no longer allowed to enter the conference hotel.
February 6, 2023, 8:30 p.m.: We have added the last section.
