A Religious Organization Under Oppressive Regulation: The Official and Underground Church in Czechoslovakia

Abstract

The operation of a religious organization under an oppressive regime, such as in communist countries, differs from that in a free society. There is extensive literature on the effects of regulation on the competition in religious markets and the religiosity of a population. Less attention has been given to the effects of oppressive regulation that aims to control and possibly eliminate religion rather than to promote a particular religious group. This paper focuses on the specific question of how a church deals with oppressive regulation, particularly how it chooses between legal and illegal operation. It proposes that both the official and the black-market way of supplying religious services have some advantages and disadvantages, and that dual operation is advantageous if it is possible at all. The paper examines the operation of the Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia under the Communist regime, one of the most oppressive communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and the choice of the Church to operate both officially and secretly.