Czech Cardinal Dominik Duka dies at 82

Cardinal Dominik Duka, former Archbishop of Prague and one of the most prominent figures in the Czech Catholic Church, has died at the age of 82. The Prague Archdiocese announced his death on Facebook, saying he passed away early Tuesday morning. Born in 1943 as Jaroslav Duka, he entered the Dominican Order in 1968 and served as a priest until communist authorities revoked his state license in 1975. He then worked in an engineering plant while continuing religious activities underground, for which he was imprisoned in the early 1980s alongside future president Václav Havel.

Appointed Bishop of Hradec Králové in 1998 and Archbishop of Prague in 2010, Duka became a cardinal two years later. He played a key role in negotiating church restitution with the Czech state and was awarded the Order of the White Lion in 2016. He led the Czech Catholic Church until 2022.