Tomáš Halík (; born 1 June 1948) is a Czech

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest, philosopher, and theologian. He is a professor of

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

at the

Charles University in Prague Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the oldest universities in the world in continuous operation, the oldest university north of the ...

, pastor of the Academic Parish by St. Salvator Church in Prague, and president of the Czech Christian Academy. Since

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

, Halík has lectured at universities and international scientific conferences in Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia, Canada, and Southern Africa. He was also a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. He is an author of several books on religion and spirituality and a recipient of numerous awards and prizes including the

Templeton Prize The Templeton Prize is an annual award granted to a living person, in the estimation of the judges, "whose exemplary achievements advance Sir John Templeton's philanthropic vision: harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest ques ...

, Romano Guardini Prize and an honorary degree from Oxford University. In 2008,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

granted him the title of Monsignor Honorary Prelate of His Holiness. As an active member of religious and cultural dissent during

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

era, Halík was appointed by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

as an advisor to the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers in 1992. In the Saint Salvator Church in Prague, he often holds joint prayers and meditations with members of other religions such as Jews, Buddhists, and Muslims. Due to his views on the other religions, his support for registered partnerships, and later

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

, his criticism of the anti-abortion movement, and his stance on

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

, he has received both praise and criticism.

Biography

Communist era

Halík converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

at 18 years old, due to the influence of writers like G. K. Chesterton and

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

. He studied Sociology and Philosophy at

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

, in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, then

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, where he was a student of Jan Patočka. He moved briefly abroad to study English at the

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

, in Bangor, where he was surprised by the Soviet-led invasion of his country, meant to crush the

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

, in August 1968. He returned to Prague, where he graduated in 1972. He did a speech at his doctoral graduation ceremony that was deemed subversive by the Communist regime, which banned him from teaching or holding any academic position. He then worked as a psychotherapist, from 1972 to 1975. He held the chair of Psychology of Work for the Institute of the Ministry of Labour, from 1975 to 1984. Meanwhile, Halík clandestinely studied Theology in Prague, and on 21 August 1978, was secretly ordained as a

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' re ...

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. He studied and received a post degree in Psychology from the Institute of Medicine in Prague in 1984. He worked as a psychotherapist for drug addicts and alcoholics at the clinic for cure of addictions of the Charles University, in Prague, from 1984 to 1990. In the 1980s he was active in the "underground church" and was a close associate of Cardinal František Tomášek, before the fall of communism in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

in 1989.

Democratic regime

After the "Velvet Revolution", which meant the triumph of democracy in his country, he was one of the external advisers of Czech president

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...

appointed him as an adviser to the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers in 1992. He licenciated in Theology at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

, in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, in 1992. The same year he took a higher doctorate in Sociology from Charles University and ThDr.hab. in theology at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Halík joined the Sociology Faculty at his alma-mater in 1993 and became a professor in 1997. He is also the head of the Religious Studies Department. As a visiting fellow, he held lectureships at both

and

, in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Hálik is the rector of the Church of the Holy Saviour, in Prague, since 1990, and co-founder and longtime President of the Czech Christian Academy.

nominated him monsignor, as an honorary prelate of the pope, in 2008. He often publicly discusses ethical issues, such as racism, political and religious intolerance, the process of

secularisation In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

, as well as the process of European expansion and integration. Tomáš Halík is a member of several scientific societies, including the European Society for Catholic Theology, the International Society for the Psychology of Religion, and Washington-based Czechoslovak Society for Science and the Arts. In 2010, his book ''Patience with God'' (''Vzdáleným nablízku: vášeň a trpělivost v setkání víry s nevírou'') was named book of the month by the '' U.S. Catholic'' Book Club and was awarded Europe's best theological book prize. Halík has publicly speculated a run for the Czech presidency. In 2015, Zdeněk Škromach announced he would run, to which Halík had said the year earlier that, if there were no candidates worthy, naming Škromach as one such candidate, he would have a moral obligation to run. However, in early 2016, he stated that he believed the office of president no longer appealed to him, as "it is the time for demagogues" such as the current Czech President

Miloš Zeman Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...

and

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. He also did not believe he had high chances of succeeding in the 2018 race, as he would have only won "the voices of the sane and educated", believing that he would need to go against his moral compass and campaign on a populist and controversial platform.

Controversial views

Halík holds some controversial, even dissident views, that are at odds with the official stances of the Catholic Church. He supports women's ordination and has criticized his church's stance on homosexuality, stating that people with same-sex attraction shouldn't be compelled to live in chastity. He has been supportive of the LGBTQ+ Catholic group New Ways Ministry and has agreed to host gay rights demonstrations in his parish church. Halik also has criticized anti-abortion legislation, specially in Eastern Europe, claiming that the near-total ban on

abortion in Poland Abortion in Poland is legal in cases where the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act or when the Maternal health, woman's life or health is in danger. The last change in the Act on Pregnancy Planning of the Republic of Poland took place on 27 J ...

would "encourage ‘abortion tourism’ of Polish women to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, contributing very little to the protection of the unborn and failing to actually stop the evil of abortion." In an interview given at 6 March 2024, he openly opposes the criminalization of abortion: "We need to learn to function in a pluralistic society; come to terms with the fact that in the legal system of a secular state there is no place for the criminalization of abortion; come to terms with the legalisation of same-sex unions." In his book ''The Afternoon of Christianity'' (2024) he openly endorses the rehabilitation of

modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

and criticizes strongly

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

for his condemnation.

Honors, awards and prizes (selection)

* 1997: The prize of the Masaryk Academy of Arts for creative activity (Prague) * 2002: The Andrew Elias Human Tolerance Award for outstanding services in disseminating the values of tolerance and spiritual and intellectual freedom (USA) * 2003: The Cardinal König Merit Award for defence of human rights and spiritual freedom, Austria (Laudator:

, President of the Czech Republic) * 2006: The Literary Award of the Czech Literary Fund for the book ''Night of the Confessor'' * 2007: The Fenix Prize of Polish Booksellers for the best book by a foreign author, for the ''Both Called and Not Called'' book (Poland) * 2007: The Prize of the Czech Society for Science and Art for his literary, scholarly and pedagogical activity * 2010: The Romano Guardini Prize for outstanding merits in interpreting contemporary society, Germany (Laudator: Karel Schwarzenberg, Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic) * 2010: The Golden St. Adalbert medal for extraordinarily efficient explanation of religion to fellow citizens, Prague (Laudator: Cardinal Dominik Duka, archbishop of Prague) * 2010: Medal for outstanding services to inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue (Islamic society Mosaika-Platform, Prague) * 2011: Honorary title "Man of Reconciliation 2010" for outstanding services to dialogue between Christians and Jews (The Polish Council of Christians and Jews, Warsaw) * 2012: The Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland by decision of the Polish President * 2014:

* 2016: Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa (University of Oxford)

Publications

Books in English * ''Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing in Us''. Doubleday, New York–London-Toronto-Sydney-Auckland, 2009. * ''Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty''. Doubleday/Image, New York–London-Toronto-Sydney-Auckland, 2012. * ''I Want You to Be: On the God of Love''. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 2016. * ''From the Underground Church to Freedom''. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 2019. * ''Is God absent? Faith, Atheism, and Our Search for Meaning''. (A.Grün & T.Halík). Paulist Press 2019. * ''Touch the Wounds: On Suffering, Trust, and Transformation''. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 2023. * ''The Afternoon of Christianity''. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 2024. Books in Czech * ''O přítomnou církev a společnost'' (For Present Church and Society). Prague: Křesťanská akademie, 1992. (Essays from 1989 to 1991.) * ''Sedm úvah o službě nemocným a trpícím'' (Seven Meditations about Serving the Diseased and Suffering). Brno: Cesta, 1993. * ''Víra a kultura'' (Faith And Culture). Prague: Zvon, 1995. * ''Ptal jsem se cest'' (I Asked The Roads). Prague: Portál, 1997. (Interviews with Jan Jandourek.) * ''Co je bez chvění, není pevné'' (There is No Firmness Without Trembling). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2002. * ''Oslovit Zachea'' (Addressing Zacheus). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2003. * ''Vzýván i nevzýván'' (Both Called And Not Called). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2004. * ''Noc zpovědníka'' (Night of the confessor: Paradoxes of little faith in a post-optimistic era). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2005. (Published in English under the title "Night of the Confessor") * ''Prolínání světů'' (Overlaps of worlds). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2006. * ''Vzdáleným nablízku''. (To the distant ones nearby: Fervour and patience in the encounter of faith and non-belief) Prague: Lidové noviny, 2007. (Published in English under the title "Patience with God") * ''Dotkni se ran'' (Touch the wounds: A spirituality of concern). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2008. * ''Stromu zbývá naděje'' (Hope remains for the tree: The crisis as opportunity). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2009. * ''Divadlo pro anděly'' (A theatre for angels: Life as a religious experiment). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2010. * ''Smířená různost'' (Reconciled difference). Prague: Portál, 2011. (Interviews with Tomasz Dostatni) * ''Úvahy na prahu tisíciletí - Ranní zamyšlení na vlnách BBC'' (Reflections on the eve of the millennium -Morning reflections broadcast by BBC Czech service). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2011. * ''Chci, abys byl'' (I want you to be: Post-religion Christianity). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2012. * ''Žít s tajemstvím'' (Living with mystery). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2013. * ''Žít v dialogu'' (Living in dialogue). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2014. * ''Obnovíš tvář země'' (Texts 1988–1998). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2014. * ''Svět bez Boha'' (A.Grün & T.Halík). Prague: Lidové noviny, 2017. * ''To že byl život?''. Prague: Lidové noviny, 2018. Books in French * ''Patience avec Dieu: l'histoire de Zachée, continue à nous''. CERF Paris 2014 (Patience with God) Books in Italian * ''Mistica, anima della filosofia?'' Fondazione nazionale "Vito Fazio-Allmayer", Palermo 1999 * ''Vicino ai lontani: la pazienza della fede nel dialogo con l'ateismo''. Libreria editrice Vaticana, Citta del Vaticano 2012 (Patience with God) * ''La notte del confessore''. Milano, Figlie di San Paolo 2013 (Night of the confessor) Books in German * ''"Du wirst das Angesicht der erde erneuern": Kirche und Gesellschaft an der Schwelle zur Freiheit''. St.-Benno-Verl., Leipzig 1993 (You shall renew the face of the earth) * ''Geduld mit Gott (Die Geschichte von Zachäeus heute)''. Freiburg: Herder, 2010 (Patience with God) * ''Nachtgedanken eines Beichtvaters''. Herder Verlag, Freiburg-Wien 2012 (Night of the confessor) * ''Berühre die Wunden''. Herder Verlag, Freiburg-Wien 2013 (Touch the wounds) * ''All meine Wege sind DIR vertraut: Von der Untergrundkirche ins Labyrinth der Freiheit'', Freiburg 2014 Books in Spanish * ''Un proyecto de renovación espiritual''. Narcea, Madrid 1996 * ''Paciencia con Dios''. Herder, Barcelona 2014 (Patience with God) * ''Paradojas de la fe en tiempos posoptimistas''. Herder, Barcelona 2016 (Night of the Confessor) * ''¿Deshacerse de Dios? Cuando la fe y la increencia se abrazan''. (& A.Grün) 2018 * ''Quiero que seas: Sobre el Dios del amor''. Herder, Barcelona 2018 Books in Portuguese * ''Paciência com Deus'', 2013 Paulinas Editora, 3.ª edição * ''A Noite do Confessor'', 2014 Paulinas Editora * ''O meu Deus é um Deus ferido'', 2015 Paulinas Editora * ''Quero que Sejas Tu'', 2016 Paulinas Editora * ''O abandono de Deus. Quando a crença e a descrença se abraçam'' (& A.Grün), 2017 Paulinas Editora * ''Diante de ti, os meus caminhos'', 2018, Paulinas Editora Books in Dutch * ''Geduld met God: Twijfel als brug tussen geloven en niet-geloven''. Uitgeverij Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer 2014 * ''De nacht van de biechtvader. Christelijk geloof in een tijd van onzekerheid''. Uitgeverij Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer 2016 * ''Ik wil dat jij bent: over God van liefde''. Uitgeverij Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer 2017 * ''Geloven op de tast. Als geloof en ongeloof elkaar ontmoeten'' (& A.Grün). Uitgeverij Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer 2017 * ''Raak de wonden aan van. Over niet zien en toch geloven''. Uitgeverij Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer 2018 * ''Niet zonder hoop. Religieuze crisis als kans''. KokBoekcentrum 2019 * ''In het geheim geloven. Autobiografie''. KokBoekcentrum 2020

References

External links

Tomáš Halík's homepageTomáš Halik at the Encyclopædia Britannica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halik, Tomas 1948 births Living people Clergy from Prague 20th-century Czech philosophers Dissident Roman Catholic theologians 20th-century Czech Roman Catholic priests Czech Roman Catholic theologians Czech LGBTQ rights activists Academic staff of Charles University Alumni of Bangor University Charles University alumni Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Templeton Prize laureates Knights of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 21st-century Czech Roman Catholic priests Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, 1st class