Prague - Pope Benedict XVI urged Czechs to rediscover their Christian roots at the start of his three-day pastoral visit, touring the highly secular ex-communist country in a year marking two decades since Communism fell in Europe. "Now that religious freedom has been restored, I call upon all citizens of this republic to rediscover the Christian traditions which have shaped their culture," Benedict said on arrival in Prague.
He urged believers to make themselves heard. "I invite the Christian community to continue to make its voice heard as the nation addresses the challenges of the new millennium," he said.
Speaking later at Prague's famed St Vitus Cathedral, the pontiff called for "renewed effort throughout the Church so as to strengthen spiritual and moral values in present-day society."
The pope, who repeatedly called on Europe to return to its Christian roots, appealed on the country's Roman Catholic Church to educate new generations "with particular zeal."
The 82-year-old pontiff acknowledged a difficult task in the country of 10.5 million where distrust of organized religion is deeply ingrained, and church-and-state relations remain strained.
"The cost of 40 years of political repression is not to be underestimated," he said. "A particular tragedy for this land was the ruthless attempt by the government of that time to silence the voice of the Church."
Before visiting the cathedral - subject of a nearly 17-year legal battle between the Roman Catholic Church and the state - the pope warned against detaching religion from houses of worship. Many Czechs view churches as cultural and historic landmarks.
"How tragic it would be if someone were to behold such examples of beauty, yet ignore the transcendent mystery to which they point," he told a gathering of Czech public figures - among them former president Vaclav Havel - at Prague Castle.
The pope is visiting one of the most secular nations in Europe. According to the latest census, conducted in 2001, less than one third of Czechs said they belong to a church.
Eda, 55, an unemployed Prague resident who declined to give his last name, reflected what many feel about the papal visit. "It's a waste of money," he said. "It could have been used in a more sensible way now during the economic crisis."
Lada Havlickova, 34, a mother of two on parental leave, was only a little more positive: "It's nice that he came - but not on my account. I'm an atheist."
Czechs began losing faith in the 19th Century when leaders of their national movement were criticizing the Catholic Church as a religion that had helped the Habsburg dynasty to subjugate the Czech lands
