Catholic church gets back into business in Czech Republic
ZELIV MONASTERY, Czech Republic (AP) — Inside the 12th century Zeliv monastery, overlooked by crucifixes on stone walls, is modern machinery that a visitor might not expect to find: a brand new beer production line.
It's part of a broader plan by the Catholic church to get into business and become self-sufficient in the Czech Republic, where for decades its activities had been suppressed by the former Communist regime's ambition to create a fully atheist society.
The church needs to get into business. In a grand restitution plan worth billions of dollars approved in 2012, the churches and religious groups have been receiving compensation for property seized by the Communists together with assets such as farmland, forests, art and buildings whose return they've sought since the 1989 Velvet Revolution toppled the totalitarian rule.
But as the state gradually reduces its contributions, the Catholic church, which has been the biggest beneficiary of those restitutions, is testing out ways to put that money to work and become financially independent. It's investing in everything from farming to financial markets.
Read more: http://bismarcktribune.com/news/world/catholic-church-gets-back-into-business-in-czech-republic/article_0370b87f-2a63-5ce4-a7a0-d38d8b9f2ec9.html
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