Prague: The District Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prague 1 has formally filed a proposal seeking judicial rehabilitation for Cardinal Josef Beran, the former Archbishop of Prague, who endured persecution under both Nazi and communist regimes in Czechoslovakia. The announcement, dated December 8, follows an extensive review of archival records conducted by the police’s Office for the Documentation and Investigation of the Crimes of Communism. The proposal has now been submitted to the District Court for Prague 1 under the 1990 law on judicial rehabilitation.
Cardinal Beran’s beatification process is currently underway. Born in 1888, Beran was imprisoned by the Nazis at the Dachau concentration camp during World War II. Following the war, he was appointed Archbishop of Prague. However, after the communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, he refused to pledge loyalty to the atheist regime. While not formally jailed, he was subjected to illegal internment, enduring isolation and loss of privacy for more than a decade.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI elevated Beran to the cardinalate, allowing him to travel to Rome. Yet he was barred from returning to his homeland, forcing him to spend the remainder of his life in exile, ministering to Czech communities in Europe and the United States.
“We are very happy for the news but do not have further information,” the Czech Bishops’ Conference press office told CNA. Similarly, Beran’s family could not provide additional details. Lawyer Lubomír Müller, who filed the initial motion in May, explained that “anyone can submit a motion to the public prosecutor’s office to correct an injustice.” Müller acted upon a formal request from Jan Kratochvil, director of the Museum of Czech, Slovak, and Ruthenian Exile of the 20th Century in Brno. The petition cited Beran’s illegal internment from 1951 to 1965.
Historian Jaroslav Šebek of the Czech Academy of Sciences noted that the ruling could establish officially that Beran’s confinement was unlawful, aligning with similar rehabilitations of clergy persecuted during the communist era. Last year, for instance, priest Josef Toufar, tortured to death under the regime, was rehabilitated, and his beatification process is ongoing. Müller also previously secured the rehabilitation of Jesuit priest František Lízna.
Beran’s influence extended beyond his suffering. At the Second Vatican Council, he spoke on religious freedom and offered a nuanced reinterpretation of Jan Hus, the 15th-century Czech reformer. Unlike communist authorities who portrayed Hus as an early revolutionary figure, Beran emphasized a conciliatory perspective, harmonizing his views with those of Pope John Paul II. In his address, he reflected on the damaging effects of coercion in matters of faith: “Secular power, even if it wants to serve the Catholic Church… in reality, by such acts, causes a permanent, hidden wound in the nation’s heart. This trauma hindered the progress of spiritual life and provided cheap material for objections to the enemies of the Church,” he stated.
Beran, who passed away in 1969, was initially interred in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, making him the only Czech prelate to receive this honor. His remains were returned to the Czech Republic in 2018, further cementing his enduring legacy.
The ongoing judicial rehabilitation represents a significant step toward recognizing the injustices Beran endured, honoring his resilience, and preserving the memory of his contribution to the Church and Czech spiritual life.