Czech President Vaclav Klaus on Thursday neither signed nor vetoed
the church restitution law, showings reservations about it and enabling
the law to take effect, presidential spokesman Radim Ochvat told the CTK
news agency.Under the law, Czech churches are to get back land and real estate now held by the state, worth some 75 billion crowns (about $3.8 billion), if they prove it was confiscated from them after the Czechoslovak communist coup in 1948.
In addition, they are to get 59 billion crowns for real estate held by municipalities, regions or individuals in the next 30 years.
Most of the property pertains to the Roman Catholic Church.
Klaus noted that Czech political parties failed to agree on the restitution issue and that a majority of the public is against it.
The restitution law could polarize Czech society and harm the churches, he warned.
Nevertheless, he said the law is crucial for political stability.