VATICAN II AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA 121published Naše víra (Our faith), which was actually a translation
of the Frankfurt Catechism for Adults. Its subtitle, Sborník úvah o
katolické víře (Collection of considerations regarding the Catholic
faith), implied that the faith was not carved in stone but needed
ongoing consideration.
A chapter entitled “Delicate Chapters from Church History”
criticized the Church for its treatment of Jan Hus and the Hus-
sites, the suppression of Protestantism after the Battle of White
Mountain, and the trials of wizards and witches. It also mentioned
the “unworthy” popes of the Middle Ages. Unlike preconciliar
handbooks, which tended to blame others for these tragic events,
Naše víra thus took a more positive attitude toward non-Catholics.
For example, in a subchapter on Jan Hus and the Hussites, it ac-
knowledged Hus’s “moral fervor,” his attempts to reform bad con-
ditions in the Church, and his personal integrity and prayer life.48
If official Catholic publishing under “normalization” could
draw from West German theological works, the same was true for
the samizdat, or underground, Catholic press. Thus, the long-term
influence of the Council came to the Czech lands via theological
handbooks from West Germany distributed in Czech translation.
Used in the underground teaching of theology, they had an influ-
ence on Czech Catholic elites. These handbooks, nicknamed the
Blue, Red, and White Books, were adapted to the Czech situation.
The Red Book analyzed the Church’s place in the world in light
of conciliar teaching, asserting the need for ongoing reform in
the Church, admitting the Church’s liability for past wrongs, and
presenting the Church not as a “perfect society,” but as “the peo-
ple of God” on pilgrimage. The Blue Book, among other things,
took a historical, ressourcement-inspired approach in examining
Jesus Christ in historical context, devoting attention to early
tions on Catholicism in the Czech lands, see Balík and Hanuš, Katolická církev v
Československu, 297–300.
- Balík and Hanuš, Katolická církev v Československu, 298.