(Bratislava) – Thanks to the law on property composition between the Catholic Church and the state of the Czech Republic, new opportunities of collaboration between regional municipalities and the Church open. According to Mgr. Tomas Holub, general secretary of the Czech Bishops’ Conference and newly appointed bishop of Pilsen, the recent unfreezing of municipal property brings the possibility to approve new local plans, apply for grants for the renewal of this property, or use and sell it for various purposes to improve the quality of people’s lives. “Apart from the restoration of various buildings like schools or kindergartens due to be funded from the so-called restitution compensations, there is another beneficial element in the property composition process – new opportunities for the development of Czech towns and villages flowing from the abrogation of the paragraph concerning the freezing of assets that has been in force since the nineties”, explains Mgr. Holub, expressing hope that this legal change will have a significant “positive impact on the daily lives of people in all corners of the Republic”. The restitution of lands belonging to the Church gives many citizens in the regions with a high unemployment rate an opportunity to find a job, as previously blocked lands can now be sold for the purpose of building industrial areas. The information on property composition, its use and projects related to the service of the Church within society can be found on the newly launched website www.cirkev.cz.