During his term in office until 2016, he built up the West Bohemian diocese and at the same time showed great openness towards displaced people. He was heavily involved in German-Czech reconciliation and was also one of the influential figures at the 2014 Catholic Day in Regensburg.
Born on October 3, 1939 in Trest, eastern Bohemia, Radkovsky was ordained a priest in 1970 under socialism. Immediately after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) appointed him auxiliary bishop in Prague.
When church relations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia were reorganized in 1993, Radkovsky became the founding bishop of Pilsen. His successor in 2016 was Tomas Holub (57), previously Secretary General of the Czech Bishops’ Conference.
John of Nepomuk (around 1340/50-1393), actually Jan Welflin from Pomuk in Pilsen in southern Bohemia, was vicar general of the Archdiocese of Prague. His fame is based on the anecdote, which was only confirmed for around 50 years after his death, that he suffered martyrdom because of his loyalty to the secrecy of the confessional. In fact, he was probably thrown into the Moldavia by henchmen of the Bohemian king because his personnel policy thwarted Wenceslas IV’s plans.
