Czech Bishops' Conference Condemns Eucharist in Pub
There were half-filled wine and beer glasses on the tables. The event was called "The Lord in the Tavern".
An advertisement shared on social media announced a "pub party for believers and non-believers." It added that a waitress would be at the bar: "It will be possible to drink beer or other liquids throughout the evening."
The Bishops' Conference of the Czech Republic called the show "unlawful and inappropriate".
In a February 3 statement, the bishops point out that the Eucharist must be presided over "in a sacred place, unless in exceptional cases necessity requires otherwise" and that organising a Eucharist "in a bar without serious reason is in itself inappropriate."
In no case should a Eucharist be combined "with the context of an ordinary dinner", the bishops wrote.
While the organizers argued that the purpose of the event was "to bring closer to the Lord those who would not otherwise come to church," the bishops' statement asks "why we bring the Eucharist to the bar for those who do not come to church."
As a result, Father Marek Vácha, who belongs to the diocese of Brno, was dismissed by the Prague archdiocese from his post as chaplain of the university community.
However, Bishop Pavel Konzbul of Brno will not punish the priest who "apologised".
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