Cardinal Dominik Duka seriously ill

Prague - The Archdiocese of Prague is asking for prayers for its archbishop emeritus, 82-year-old Cardinal Dominik Duka. He is in a serious condition in a hospital in the Czech capital.

Published on 03.11.2025 at 16:26 –

The former Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Dominik Duka (82), is being treated in hospital. As the Archdiocese of Prague announced on the "X" platform on Monday, Duka was again taken to the Central Military Hospital in Prague on Saturday. His condition is serious. The diocese is asking for prayers for the Czech Republic's only cardinal. No further details were initially released.

Duka was only released from hospital on Thursday after being hospitalised for around three weeks. He had to undergo surgery at the beginning of October. Afterwards, he thanked everyone on "X" who had supported him with their prayers and explained: "There were moments when I thought we would have to say goodbye; but thanks to God, the doctors and you, we continue our pilgrimage together with hope towards the horizon that is Jesus Christ."

Consecrated in secret

Duka was born on 26 April 1943 in Hradec Kralove (Königgrätz). He secretly entered the Dominican order in 1968 and was ordained a priest in 1970. After the communists withdrew his licence to serve as a priest, he worked for 15 years as a draughtsman in the Skoda car manufacturer's factory in Plzen (Pilsen). At the same time, he secretly continued to work for his order.

From 1986 to 1998, Duka finally headed the Dominican Order in Bohemia and Moravia as provincial. In 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of his home town of Hradec Kralove. In February 2010, Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Prague. Two months later, the Czech bishops elected him as their chairman. In 2012, Benedict appointed him to the College of Cardinals.

Too much closeness between church and state?

On reaching the prescribed age limit of 75 for bishops in April 2018, Duka offered Pope Francis his resignation. Previously, around 100 lay Catholics had written to the Pope calling on him to no longer remain in office. They complained of a tendency "towards nationalism and right-wing extremists", "uncritical support for the Islamophobic President Milos Zeman" and excessive closeness between church and state.

However, Francis left Duka in the office of Archbishop of Prague until 2022. His successor is Jan Graubner (77), previously Archbishop of Olomouc for 30 years. (KNA)