Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Czech Republic in late September, participating in the nation's Sept. 28 observance of the feast of St. Wenceslaus, a 10th-century Czech prince and martyr.During the Sept. 26-28 trip, the pope will visit Prague, Brno and Stara Boleslav, the town where St. Wenceslaus was murdered by his brother in 935 to protest his embrace of Christianity, the Vatican announced May 30.
The announcement was published as Pope Benedict was meeting Czech President Vaclav Klaus in the papal library.
The pope and president discussed the situation in the Czech Republic, "looking in particular at some questions related to relations with the Catholic Church, as well as to the future of Europe, taking into account the importance of its cultural, spiritual and Christian patrimony," the Vatican said.
Church-state relations in the Czech Republic have been tense over demands for the restitution of Catholic properties confiscated under communist rule. In March, the Czech Supreme Court confirmed state ownership of Prague's historic St. Vitus Cathedral after a 17-year legal battle by the church.
After his audience with the pope, Klaus told Vatican Radio he was pleasantly surprised by "how the pope follows the situation in our country. Our meeting was not just an exchange of pleasantries, but we spoke in a very concrete way."
"As regard preparations for the pope's visit, I must say they already are in an advanced phase. We are happy the pope will be visiting us because he will bring a clear message for everyone," Klaus told Vatican Radio.
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