Martina Špinková
Author: archive of Martina Špinková
In two days, over three thousand people signed an open letter to Archbishop Jan Graubner, written by Martina Špinková, painter and founder of the Cesta domú hospice. The letter responded to the presentation of the publication Conspiracy – The Truth about the attempt to remove the president of the Czech Republic, which took place in mid-April in the premises of the Prague archdiocese.
Cardinal Dominik Duka wrote an afterword to the book. “This case, the illness of the president of the republic and how it was treated, speaks of a deep and moral crisis that our society is going through,” said Duka to the book in the Archbishop’s Palace, where he was sitting at a table between former president Miloš Zeman and actress Jiřina Bohdalová. With them in the hall were, for example, the MEP Kateřina Konečná from the KSČM, the former castle chancellor Vratislav Mynář, the convicted (and then pardoned by Miloš Zeman) ex-head of the Lány Forest Service Miloš Balák or the SPD MP Jaroslav Foldyna.
The day after the event, the Prague archdiocese issued a statement on its website concluding with the sentence that “it belongs to the tradition of the church to be open to everyone”. Together with several respected personalities, Martina Špinková decided to send an open letter to Archbishop Graubner with a call to distance himself from this event. He was joined by many people from all over the country, who may have contributed to the fact that the Czech Bishops’ Conference distanced itself from the event relatively quickly. In an interview for Christnet, Martina Špinková talks about the hope that the strong reaction of the public and the subsequent statements of the bishops could be a stepping stone to change the image of the church in society. “It is necessary to ask what society expects from the church and what the church should be for it. This question has been hanging in the air for a long time and (…) the search for answers to it can bear good fruit.”
Why did you decide to write and publish an open letter?
The event at the Archbishop’s Palace was pitiful. When I saw the photos, at first I thought they were evil collages like the one on the book cover. But then I understood that it was a reality. I saw considerable outrage around me. I told myself that I don’t want people in the church and people around her to think that this is normal. Because it’s not normal. People came to the archdiocese who think badly of our country and the church, they harm it. I couldn’t keep quiet about that.
Have you written more similar challenges in your life? Are you this active often?
So I haven’t made a petition yet. For a long time I had a blog on the website Aktuálně.cz, I participated in events with the association Million moments for democracy. But I’m no activist. I only write when I feel that I could help or that it is impossible to remain silent. Usually only when it comes to the last straw.
Astronomer Jiří Grygar or Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka joined you in an open letter. Did you work on the letter together?
When you want to face some decline, there are those who stand firm and do not fall. I appreciate all the respected righteous personalities who not only supported the letter with their authority, but also contributed to its final form. We managed to send it before the meeting of the members of the Czech Bishops’ Conference on Tuesday, April 23. That way, the bishops could express themselves quickly, and the dubious aftertaste didn’t have to hang in the air without a response for long. Even so, unfortunately, it sent a lot of disappointment.
In your letter, you called for Archbishop Jan Graubner to distance himself from the event with the launch of the book Conspiracy. This was done by the Czech Bishops’ Conference (ČBK) after the meeting on April 24. Did what you wanted happen when you wrote the open letter?
Thank you for CBK’s statement. It’s actually nicely written. I’m just a little surprised that it was created apparently only under public pressure. We are still waiting for an answer from the Archbishop, he will surely come. However, the remedy probably lies not only in how leases will be handled in the future. And the Archbishop’s explanation that he did not have the necessary information about the event in the Archbishop’s Palace fills me with a little shiver.
Shaking?
Yes, with concern, because if he doesn’t have enough information about what’s going on in the house, in the office he’s in charge of, I don’t know if he has a sufficient overview of what’s going on in the church, about us, about the whole society. God is not all-powerful, but he does have power over the archbishopric. Or doesn’t he? Probably most of us are wondering who is the author of the first, rather threatening statement of the archbishopric, if not the archbishop, and whether the person in question and those who facilitated and organized the meeting will be held accountable. The situation in the world is not good and we are probably not going to have easy times, and I would like to have the certainty, or at least the hope, that brave and wise people will represent us when the going gets tough. I think I’m not alone.
In a statement on the website of the archdiocese, it was stated, among other things: “Cardinal Dominik Duka is a person who remains loyal to his friends regardless of their current popularity. From the beginning, it has been part of the tradition of the church to be open to everyone.” How did you perceive it?
If you know a bit of history, it will scare you. The problem is that a person who, by virtue of his position, has authority and should naturally belong to those who seek the truth and perhaps are willing to suffer for it, protects such a lie and brings us shame. So many people see him! I don’t understand publicly declaring allegiance to friends who are vindictive and lying. After all, he can be faithful friends with Miloš Zeman at his home in the kitchen or in the living room.
Dominik Duka wrote the afterword for the book Conspiracy…
In my opinion, Cardinal Duka used to be an educated person. Would he not recognize that the book about Miloš Zeman is lousy and is just a tool of the ex-president’s vindictiveness? I’m not sure who’s having a moral crisis here. I’m sorry. Damage. We have a nice wording for this in Czech: my mind remains standing.
The book was published by Olympia, I will read you a piece from the summary, which he writes about the book: “The game of doctors, media, politicians and public figures; who wish Miloš Zeman to be removed. So that he doesn’t get in the way of the formation of the new government and that he pays for everything that he bothered with as president.”
The game… But it’s twisted. At the time of the then president’s illness, normal constitutional procedures came into play, no one removed anyone. When I’m the boss and I have a serious illness, I also entrust someone. But I wouldn’t go back to that, it’s a waste of time. In some things, the truth is simply obvious, and someone’s opinion does not make it untrue. It rains or it doesn’t rain. If someone runs naked in the rain and says it’s not raining, let them say it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s raining. In many situations where it is not so clear, we must carefully distinguish, learn it. And I will borrow an English proverb for the book.
Which one is it?
When there is a naked woman in public, a gentleman pretends not to see her, because there cannot be a naked woman in public. I would rather not see the book either, ignore it, it is just one of many bad books. Do not doubt that, as Karel Schwarzenberg would say, happy memories. She would not have been worth attention at all if the cardinal had not drawn attention to her with that cardinal disgrace.
Today is full of misinformation, how can the church help people discern?
It’s hard and it will probably get worse. But the Church is not empty-handed, it has tools. For so many years he has thought about freedom, about good and evil. He can tell them apart when he wants to. The Bible tells stories and leaves them to mature within us. He even tells some stories from different perspectives and tells us: “Discern, think, deal with it somehow.” The Church should bring this inspiration. Asking for hope, seeking truth and tirelessly distinguishing between good and evil. It can teach us to be patient in our search, not to impose the truth, but rather to ask for it. I would be very happy if the church put more question marks than exclamation points before us. She asked, listened, helped those who needed it most. And at the same time, she never discounted what is most essential. So many people are doing it brilliantly, they know how and they will be happy to be supported from above, I mean from the representatives of the church. The Lord does it daily, so we should too.
The bishops’ conference ends its statement with the sentence “Also, it is encouraging to see how great the expectations of the general public are from the church.” How do you read this sentence?
Ambivalently. On the one hand, I was very pleased and I am glad that people encouraged the bishops. That’s the thing! On the other hand, I’m a little afraid if it’s not too late, if we Catholics have messed it up too much and fallen asleep on various topics. So that we can be valid to the people around us. Anyway, Mr. Cardinal didn’t really help it now, and many people will have a hard time ironing it out for him. We are few, we should try. And not to get lost on the way in ourselves.
To strive in what, in what areas?
It should not be limited to the well-written statement of the ČBK. I would like the bishops, i.e. the shepherds, to take themselves seriously and to be able to creatively fulfill what they said nicely and address society. They are not alone, they have a lot of interesting and brave sheep, they can ask them and listen to them, invite others. It can be a stepping stone to at least a small improvement of the church’s image in society. It is necessary to ask what society expects from the church, but mainly what the church should be for it. This question has been hanging in the air for a long time, and I strongly hope that the bishops will also ask themselves when they wrote the aforementioned statement. Because that’s a good question, and finding answers to it can bear good fruit.
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Martina Špinková (64 years old)
She founded the non-profit organization Cesta domý, which provides professional care to the dying and their loved ones and which runs a home hospice. She was the director of this organization for ten years, while also working as a volunteer with patients. Until 2020, she was the editor-in-chief of the Cesta domú publishing house of the same name. She studied book culture and writing at the University of Applied Arts in Prague, draws, paints, sews and writes. She illustrated about 80 books, many of them for German publishers, her illustrations were also published in France, England or Belgium, for example. She and her husband Štěpán have seven adult children and live in Prague.
