SA国际传媒

By Devin Watkins

Several ambassadors to the Holy See joined members of the press on Thursday evening at the headquarters of Vatican Radio for an event promoted by the Czech Ambassador to the Holy See, Václav Kolaja.

鈥淢iracle versus Dictatorship鈥� was the theme for the evening, which saw panelists explore the events surrounding the death of Father Josef Toufar.

The Czech priest caught the eye of the newly-installed communist regime following an event described as a miracle by his parishioners.

Miraculous manipulation

On 11 December 1949, as Fr Toufar was celebrating Mass in the village of 膶ího拧钮, the wooden crucifix placed above the tabernacle began to sway from side to side before coming to a rest in an inclined position.

Fr Toufar was preaching with his back to the altar when it happened so he did not personally see the miracle. But 19 people attending the Mass witnessed the crucifix swaying, and told him about it afterward.

News of the 鈥溎�ího拧钮 miracle鈥� spread quickly, and the communist regime took action to manipulate it to their own ends.

Patrick Divi拧, the Creative Director of Czech Television and producer of 鈥淎s If We Should Die Today鈥�, a documentary about Fr Toufar based on a book of the same title by Milo拧 Dole啪al, told Vatican Radio that the regime used the 膶ího拧钮 miracle to discredit the Catholic Church.

The Communist Party came to power in Czechoslovakia in February 1948 after a coup d鈥�état.

Mr. Divi拧 said the communist regime considered the Catholic Church to be its 鈥渕ain ideological enemy鈥�.

In 1949, the regime began a harsh repression of Catholics. It seized on the 膶ího拧钮 miracle as a propaganda opportunity, according to Mr. Divi拧.

Fake news

Fr Josef Toufar was arrested by the state police and beaten mercilessly in an attempt to produce a false confession.

The authorities wanted him to say that the entire event had been organized under orders from the Vatican and carried out with the help of a mechanism to make the cross move.

Fr Toufar refused to sign the confession. 鈥淗e defended his position that he did not make this miracle 鈥� that it was a supernatural occurrence 鈥� and he died for it, 鈥� Mr. Divi拧 said.

The parish priest of 膶ího拧钮 succumbed to his wounds from the beatings, and died on 25 February 1950.

Broken ties

The Czechoslovakian communist regime nonetheless used the event as a pretext to expel the Vatican diplomats in the country and to break ties with the Holy See.

The regime then arrested hundreds of priests, nuns, and lay Catholics, and seized the assets of the Church in Czechoslovakia.

Many were killed in the anti-Catholic repression that followed.

Victory of truth

Mr. Divi拧 said Fr Toufar鈥檚 example lives on for Catholics in the Czech Republic. The truth behind his death was only discovered in 1968 by a local journalist.

鈥淗is is a story about the victory of truth,鈥� said Mr. Divi拧. 鈥淲hen he died 鈥� beaten to death 鈥� it seemed that everything was lost. And now, after 70 years, his is the winning story, because the truth came to the surface.鈥�

The Czech Bishops鈥� Conference opened Fr Josef Toufar鈥檚 cause for canonization in 2013, in hopes of making his martyrdom an inspiration for the universal Church.