The Supreme Court did not grant the cardinal an apology from Brno theaters

Brno theatres do not have to apologize for the theatre production by Bosnian-Croatian author Oliver Frljič, which was presented by the Theatre World Brno 2018 festival at the Husa na provázku Theatre. The Supreme Court upheld the conclusion of two lower courts that dismissed Cardinal Dominik Duka's lawsuit. First, the Municipal Court in Brno rejected it in November 2019, then the Brno Regional Court ruled in the same way.

According to Cardinal Duka, the performances allegedly infringed on his freedom of religious belief and dignity. The extreme theatrical images were also intended to harm Duka's good name as the Czech Primate. He demanded an apology from the National Theatre in Brno, which organized the festival. He also wanted one from the Experimental Theatre Centre, where the performances took place.

The Supreme Court noted that the content of the productions was not perceived by all believers as offensively as Archbishop Duka and his lawyer. It referred, for example, to the earlier response of theologian and academic Tomáš Halík, who evaluated them as inspiring, however provocative they were in his opinion. In this context, the court recalled that Halík, unlike the Archbishop, had seen both plays with a German.

"There has been no proven interference with the rights of any direct victim who could indirectly affect the plaintiff. If such interference could be considered an attack on the honor of Jesus Christ and John Paul II, it would not be objectively capable of causing the average citizen of the Czech Republic feelings of personal unhappiness," the Supreme Court continues.