Truth (and Faith) Prevails: An Archbishop of Prague in a Godless Time

In this paper, Danube Institute Visiting Fellow Stefano Arroque examines the life and legacy of Cardinal František Tomášek, Archbishop of Prague, as a central figure in the Czech resistance to Communist rule. Situating Tomášek within the broader tradition of clerical opposition to totalitarianism in Central and Eastern Europe, the paper traces his evolution from a cautious churchman navigating repression to a moral and spiritual leader of dissidence in the final decades of Communist rule. Drawing on Czech intellectual traditions such as litost’ and the imperative of “living in truth,” the paper explores how Christian resistance confronted Communism not primarily at the level of ideology, but at the level of moral anthropology and spiritual authority. It contrasts Tomášek’s strategy with that of his predecessor Josef Beran and places both within the wider context of Vatican Ostpolitik and its limits. The paper concludes that Tomášek’s leadership played a decisive role in preserving the institutional and moral credibility of the Czech Church in one of Europe’s most secular societies.