Abstrakt
Although Central and Eastern European states remain officially secular, recent shift to "illiberal democracy" (V. Orbán) in the region seems to bring along revival of old ties between governments and dominant churches in respective countries; Vladimir Putin's "special relationship" with Russian Orthodox Church is primary example of such approximation.
Government positions and even legislation in issues such as LGBT rights, abortions or immigration are more than ever pushed through and defended in religious terms, emphasizing "Christian" nature of their nation and state. This paper will seek to examine strategies of Czech Catholic Church, as being most important Christian church in Czech Republic but at the same time attempting to regain public space and religious dominance in overall atheistic and historically anti-clerical country.
Presented paper will put special emphasis on the impacts of recent immigration crisis, local and regional discourse on "Islamic threat" and how Czech Catholic Church's response to these trends in terms of its relations with state and general society.