Czech Republic unveils bust to executed priest

(Vatican Radio) A bust has been unveiled in the Czech Republic to Catholic priest Václav Drbola, who was executed by the former Communist regime. The ceremony comes amid wider efforts by the Catholic Church to heal the recent wounds of history.
Drbola was executed in 1951, at the age of thirty-nine, along with ten other people sentenced to death in a series of show trials, which were conducted by the Communist regime of what was then Czechoslovakia. Historians believe the eleven people executed were falsely accused of murdering three Communist officials near the town of Babice, as part of a wider crackdown on church leaders and other perceived anti-Communists. The Czech Catholic Church has now launched the process of the late priest’s beatification.
The regime also persecuted other church leaders. Historians say that as many as sixty-five Catholic priests, monks and nuns were executed or killed in prisons, while others were driven to suicide by harsh social and political conditions. In addition, church properties were also confiscated. The Czech government recently pledged over $3 billion in financial compensation for confiscated properties that cannot be returned.
Listen to Stefan Bos' report: