The Pope sent a telegram of condolence for the death of Cardinal Dominik Duka, O.P., emeritus metropolitan archbishop of Prague, who died on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at the age of 82. The message was addressed to the metropolitan archbishop of Prague, Monsignor Jan Graubner.
In his telegram, the Holy Father expressed his closeness to the ecclesial community of Prague, to the Order of Preachers—of which Cardinal Duka was a member—as well as to the priests, religious, and faithful who “found in him a shepherd forged in faith and intrepid herald of the Gospel.”
The Pontiff thanked God for the intense pastoral work of Cardinal Duka and highlighted “his courage during the period of persecution, when, deprived of freedom, he did not diminish in his adherence to Christ and the Church.” He also emphasized that his episcopal ministry, “founded on the Dominican charism of truth and charity, as his motto In Spiritu Veritatis recalls, remains an example of faithful dedication to the mission.”
Leo XIV entrusted the soul of the cardinal to divine mercy, praying that the Lord receive him “in the joy of his Kingdom.” At the same time, he imparted his apostolic blessing to all those who mourn his passing and participate in the funeral rites.
Biography and Episcopal Service of Cardinal Duka
Dominik Duka was born on April 26, 1943, in Hradec Králové (Eastern Bohemia). During the years of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, he suffered various forms of repression: as a young man, he secretly entered the Order of Preachers and, after his priestly ordination in 1970, was deprived of the state permit to exercise his ministry and forced to work in a factory. During that period, he also helped the Dominican order in a covert manner.
He was appointed bishop of Hradec Králové in 1998, metropolitan archbishop of Prague in 2010, and created cardinal in 2012. In his pastoral service, he promoted reconciliation in Czech society, religious freedom, and actively participated in the restitution of Church property after communism.
Cardinal Duka died in the Central Military Hospital of Prague in the early hours of Tuesday, November 4, 2025. His funeral is scheduled for November 15 in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.