Mgr. Petr Čapek

* 1936

  • “She was thinking about the historical question, she was a philosopher. She belongs in the circle of the educated people such as Milan Balabán, Ladislav Hejdánek, Šimsa and some others with whom she was in dialogue. Professor Souček… they had mutual respect for one another with Patočka. And, for instance, the weekend in Jircháře, that was the home of students, double lectures by Jan Patočka and J. B. Souček on the state of philosophy and theology. She never compromised herself, she was very modest, nice, sympathetic. And she had clear ideas about the church-political matters. Then she became a Chartist, it was around her that the Charter was drafted. She lectured with us at Žižkov, even at my brother’s, my brother served for some time as a parson in Sázava u Ždáru, there, too, she lectured on Toleration Decree and matters of freedom. We respected her very much.”

  • “We were not in touch with him later, he was busy travelling around the world, this was the Christian Peace Conference. Which is a topic of its own, because it was him who opened the door to Europe in the 1950s. Martin Niemöller was here, the famous theologian and submarine captain in WWI and a member of the Confessing Church, so when he arrived in Prague and preached at the St Martin in the Wall, it was a real event – that is in the closed world, or Hans Joachim Iwand, an important theologian was here, and other, Helmuth Gollwitzer, this was much appreciated, as it seemed that the door of the time of unfreedom was opening. But it is true that the Christian Peace Conference deviated in the Eastern direction. And this was something we could not agree with as students.“

  • “He had this study where there was nothing, just a table and a few things, but then there was this second room with many books. Unfortunately, towards the end of his life he could not use the books as his eyesight was very weak, to it was the source of much sadness to him, about which he wrote to some of his friends. I came to him, he was not much interested in the talks, he invited me to come to his weekend cottage, but I did not dare to disturb him. But I had the five six lectures in our circle, this is written on that paper I drafted and was about Mácha. He read his poems, or someone else, when his eyesight worsened. And naturally about Florian and Zahradníček. Definitely about Zahradníček. So… about his dad, the printing shop, breaking of that printing shop and his brethren. These were beautiful evenings and he even had the courage to go to the parsonage, I do not like to say this, but it put those people in danger. From the cops, I mean.“

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    Čapek Petr

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    Praha, 30.07.2017

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There is no easy advise to survive totalitarian power

Petr Čapek, 2017
Petr Čapek, 2017
photo: Sbírka Post Bellum

Petr Čapek was born on December 26, 1936, in Prague, into a family of a parson of Czech Brethren Church. His life was influenced by his uncles, Jan Blahoslav and Milíč Čapeks, same as the background of the evangelical community at Žižkov. After his grammar school he started working as a tram-driver and a labourer in the rubber industry, after another year he was accepted at the Evangelical Theological Faculty. He served as a parson in Mariánské Lázně, Merklín near Pilsen and in Děčín. He worked with reform theologians from Nová orientace, was followed by the Secret Police and repeatedly interrogated. To prevent him from working with the youth, who he had allegedly influenced in a negative way, his approval to carry out the spiritual service was withdrawn for some time. During his stay in Děčín he organised many concert, lectures and meetings.