Slovak Ministers Clash With Ombudsman Over Old Catholic Church Recognition

Slovakia's Public Defender of Rights has defended the Old Catholic Church amid controversy over its legal status. Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok and Defense Minister Robert Kaliňák have accused the ombudsman of wanting to allow mosques in the country. The Old Catholic Church operates in Slovakia alongside the dominant Roman Catholic Church, which claims three million adherents, and the Evangelical and Greek Catholic churches with hundreds of thousands of members. However, the Old Catholic Church remains unregistered because only 1,778 people declared membership in the 2021 census. Without official registration, religious organizations cannot construct places of worship or own property in Slovakia. The dispute highlights tensions over religious recognition policies and the government's approach to minority faiths.