Top court to reach verdict on church restitution within two months

The Czech Constitutional Court might deliver a verdict on the restitution of church property within the next two months, the court’s chief justice, Pavel Rychetský told Czech TV on Sunday. Under the deal, approved last year, 16 churches and religious societies including the Roman Catholic Church will get back part of the property confiscated by the communist regime along with financial compensation for the rest, amounting to 134 billion crowns. However, the opposition, which says some of the property did not in fact belong to the churches, has asked the Constitutional Court to review the restitution deal.