Constitutional Court upholds bill on church property restitution

The Constitutional Court has rejected a proposal calling for the legislation on church property restitution to be repealed. The proposal was submitted by 18 senators from the Social Democratic, Communist and Public Affairs parties, who claim the law, which came into effect earlier this year, goes against the separation of church and state. The decision means that the government over time will pay out approximately 134 billion crowns in property and financial compensation to religious institutions, as restitution for property taken away from them by the state under communism.