Josef Hlouch (26 March 1902 – 10 June 1972) was a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
and
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
who served as the
Bishop of Budweis from 1947 until his death.
Hlouch first served as a parish priest and professor in
Olomouc
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019).
Located on t ...
and other places before he was appointed to the episcopate following a standoff between ecclesial authorities and the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
as to whom would assume the Budweis episcopal see. He was installed in his new diocese at a time when
communist authorities solidified their control over the then-
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
which prompted Hlouch and other ecclesial leaders such as
Josef Beran
Josef Beran (29 December 1888 – 17 May 1969) was a Czech Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Prague from 1946 until his death and was elevated into the cardinalate in 1965.
Adam Beran was imprisoned in the Dachau concentr ...
to speak out against communist repression.
[ Hlouch was placed under house arrest and later exiled from his diocese but the Prague Spring allowed for him to return in 1968.][
The late bishop became known for his holiness and for his leadership of his old diocese and in 2015 the Czech Episcopal Conference lodged a formal request to ]Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
to open the beatification process. The process opened on 7 November 2017 and he became titled as a Servant of God.
Life
Josef Hlouch was born in Lipník near Třebíč
Třebíč (; german: Trebitsch; yi, טרייביטש Treybitsh) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants.
The beginnings of the town's history are connected with the establishment of a Benedictine ...
on 26 March 1902 to Jakub Hlouch and Marie Hlouchová.
In 1935 he obtained his doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
in theological studies in Olomouc
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019).
Located on t ...
after having obtained his habilitation in 1934. He received his ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...
to the priesthood in mid-1926 in Olomouc from Archbishop Leopold Prečan.[ From 1945 until his episcopal appointment he served as a professor to ]seminarians
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
after having served as a pastor since 1939 just before World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
began.[ In September 1928 he began serving as the parish administrator for the Hodolana parish in Olomouc.
Hlouch was later appointed as a bishop and received his ]episcopal consecration
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
from Saverio Ritter Saverio Ritter (24 January 1884 – 21 April 1951) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.
He was born in Chiavenna, in the Province of Sondrio, Italy, on 24 January 1884 and was ordaine ...
in Olomouc with Josef Beran
Josef Beran (29 December 1888 – 17 May 1969) was a Czech Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Prague from 1946 until his death and was elevated into the cardinalate in 1965.
Adam Beran was imprisoned in the Dachau concentr ...
and Stanislav Zela serving as the co-consecrators.
His solemn enthronement in his episcopal see came as a relief to the faithful since the see had been vacant since 1940. The Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
had opposed a particular prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
nominated for the position leading to Pope Pius XII leaving the see vacant; the Nazis defeat in 1945 allowed for Hlouch to be appointed as a bishop.[ His constant criticisms and opposition to the communist regime in the then-]Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
prompted his exile from the diocese. This was exacerbated when the authorities began monitoring all his activities after a 19 June 1949 sermon
A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. ...
where he criticized the nation's direction under the regime. He returned to his diocese on 9 June 1968 on the occasion of the Prague Spring.[ Hlouch had even been placed under house arrest in 1950 and in 1952 was arrested and then exiled from his diocese without a court trial. He left for several cities during this time first in Liberec and then in ]Mladá Vožice
Mladá Vožice (german: Jung Woschitz) is a town in Tábor District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic It has about 2,700 inhabitants.
Administrative parts
Villages of Bendovo Záhoří, Blanice, Chocov, Dolní Kouty, Dubina, Horn ...
.[
In 1963 the facilitated negotiations between ]Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
and the Czech Socialist Republic
The Czech Socialist Republic ( cs, Česká socialistická republika, ČSR) was a republic within the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. The name was used from 1 January 1969 to November 1989, when the previously unitary Czechoslovak state changed ...
allowed for imprisoned bishops to be released. This prompted Hlouch's release in April 1963.
In 1968 he sent a letter to Miloslav Vlk
Miloslav Vlk (; 17 May 1932 – 18 March 2017) was a Czech prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Prague from 1991 to 2010. He was made a cardinal in 1994. He was also the President of the Council of European Bishops' Con ...
in which he asked the then-deacon to become his personal aide. This was much to Vlk's surprise who had hoped to go abroad for further studies. Prior to Vlk's ordination he met with Hlouch in the bishopric for breakfast one morning where he spoke to the prelate about his plans for his future studies. Hlouch met with Vlk again one morning in the bishopric for breakfast two weeks later in which the latter assented to the role.[ Hlouch later ordained Vlk as a priest on 23 June 1968.
Hlouch died on 10 June 1972. His reputation for holiness had been noted in his life as well as for his gentle smile combined with his thoughtful nature.][ The communists did not allow for ]Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...
to name a successor which rendered the see vacant until Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
appointed Miloslav Vlk as Hlouch's successor.
Beatification process
From 2012 the late bishop's friend and aide Miloslav Vlk - now a cardinal - said that a beatification process could be launched because the potential for a formal application to Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
was something being evaluated. The Czech Episcopal Conference in autumn 2015 made a formal application to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pass ...
to launch the cause with the C.C.S. issuing the "nihil obstat
''Nihil obstat'' (Latin for "nothing hinders" or "nothing stands in the way") is a declaration of no objection that warrants censoring of a book, e.g., Catholic published books, to an initiative, or an appointment.
Publishing
The phrase ''ni ...
" decree on 7 November 2017 in a move that titled Hlouch as a Servant of God.[
The diocesan process to collect documentation and witness testimonies is expected to be launched sometime in 2018.
]
References
External links
Catholic Hierarchy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hlouch, Josef
1972 deaths
1902 births
People from Třebíč District
People from the Margraviate of Moravia
Bishops of České Budějovice
Roman Catholic bishops in Czechoslovakia
20th-century venerated Christians
Academic staff of Palacký University Olomouc
Czech Roman Catholic theologians
Czechoslovak prisoners and detainees
Religious persecution by communists
Servants of God