DUBOVSKÝ, Patrik. Dispute over the legitimacy of the Association of Catholic Clergy Pacem in Terris in Slovakia after the issuance of the Quidam episcopi decree

During the normalization period, the Association of Catholic Clergy Pacem in Terris (ZKD PIT) played a negative role in the spiritual life in Slovakia. It shattered church unity, undermined the subordination to the Holy Father and the bishops and up to a point legitimized the communist regime. The regime used the association's existence, servility and vague statements to defend its (anti-)Church policy or a false image of the relationship between the state and the Church and free religious life. This situation in Czechoslovakia reached such a critical state that when the Holy See issued the Quidam Episcopi decree in March 1982, this decree applied directly to the PIT association. The regime and the association's representatives tried to prove that they were not violating the decree in various ways, but in reality, they were showing disobedience towards the Holy Father. The response among the believers and priests was clear: far fewer priests participated in the association's activities, its leaders lost the respect of the believers, and those were not afraid to publicly criticize its pro-regime and schismatic activities. On the contrary, by participating in the activities of the secret church, they showed their resistance and disapproval of the association's existence and practices, so it gradually became discredited.