Legislation regulating relations between churches and state
Analysis and recapitulation and communist legislation (incl. during normalization), historical and ideological background for adoption of anti-church norms, resolutions of the communist party, laws adopted by legislative bodies, policies adopted by state departments and secret police administration.
State security organs in relation with the churches
Participation of secret police on psychological, physical, judicial, and property-related persecutions, and secret police activity in all phases of an intervention against individuals, groups or religious institutions – from initiation, intelligence elaboration, through arrest, investigation, interrogation – using unlawful methods including physical and psychological torture.
Roles of other institutions in anti-church policy
Top party and state bodies, courts, prison system, ideological organizations, their structure, authority, jurisdiction relations between individual repressive power sectors persecuting the church.
State control of education
Abolition or limited acting of theological faculties, which came under direct supervision of the state. Forced reduction of religion lessons at every school level.
The underground church
Establishment and activity of the underground church and evaluation of its influence in a society. Infiltration, discrediting and persecution of the underground church by communist secret polices.
Totalitarian regime and its relation to congregations and religious groups
Abolishment of convents, monastic orders, concentration camp style monasteries for monks and priests, control of existing orders.
Collaboration of the churches with the communist regime
Establishment and activities of clergyman´s organizations and movements collaborating with the state power. Activities of clergymen in communist state structures.
Church in Exile
Activities of institutions of Church in exile in western democratic countries, its contacts with Church at home and its activities in struggle for religious rights in communist countries, activities of east European secret services against religious communities in exile in the West.
Testimonies of witnesses and presentation of oral history