Pavilion P of the Brno exhibition center, where the mass was held, was bursting at the seams. The interest in participation was so great that it was necessary to accommodate thousands of people in the adjacent pavilion Z, which is the largest in the fair complex. Footage from the mass was broadcast live there.
Many did not hide their emotion at the fact that his close associate, Canadian Cardinal Michael F. Czerny, led the Mass on behalf of the Pope. He was born in Brno in 1946, from where he immigrated to Canada with his parents as a small child. He proudly refers to the Moravian metropolis and, as he said before the service, “he still feels at home in Brno”.
As the main celebrant, before the mass he diligently practiced Czech, in which he led the service. He repeatedly received long applause from the thousands present. “Dýr Cardinal Majkl, velkom tú štatl (note: Dear Cardinal Michael, welcome to Brno),” Brno Bishop Pavel Konzbul, who is a well-known lover of the Brno hantec and entertains not only his fans on social networks, but also the faithful at masses, lightened the whole atmosphere.
Organizationally, the bishopric left nothing to chance. In the hall there was a large area lined with carpets where families with babies could sit. Almost in the form of a fairy tale, the life destinies of Bula and Drbola were brought closer to the animated story, which could be watched on giant monitors. In it, one of the priests simply explained to the audience what beatification actually is.
Merc like youtubers
Above all, the younger years were delighted by the “merč”. As YouTubers, Bula/Drbola have their own sweatshirts, caps, bags, while the interest was in T-shirts. The diocese even took the help of artificial intelligence (AI), with which it created a huge image of the two priests. It was possible to secure the chalice used by priest Drbola. It was the papal legate who used Czerny at mass.
Bula and Drbola became blessed when he read the apostolic letter from the Pope, with the fact that they are both newly included among the blessed. Because they lived a virtuous life, it is possible to honor their memory every June 17. Czerny explained that “these priests of Moravian land” remained true to love and faith, they stood up for what they believed in, even though they could back down from the regime, and even though they knew they were going to be executed, they were able to forgive those who tortured them before their death.
“It seemed that their life ended in failure, but it is not so, they were tested like gold in the fire,” emphasized the cardinal. He stated that the greatness of Bula and Drbola does not lie in the fact that they made the right decision in a single short moment, but remained faithful to faith and love throughout their imprisonment. According to him, they are an example of the fact that “life is fulfilled when you give with all your heart, not when you live at all costs”. Everyone welcomed the blessed with a standing ovation.
The beatification itself is an extremely long process, which lasted roughly twenty years for both priests. It begins with the Pope recognizing someone’s virtuous life as a servant of God with the title “Venerable”. Proving the virtue of a specific person can then take decades. “Blessed” and “holy” are not the same thing. Being declared a saint is an even higher degree of recognition.
The so-called Pope Leo XIV approved the beatification of Bula and Drbola in October 2025. Bula served in Rokytnica nad Rokytnou, Drbola in Babice. It was there in 1951 that the so-called grandmother’s murders of three communist functionaries, with whom the ruling regime senselessly connected the two priests. After cruel interrogations and a rigged trial, they were executed; Drbola in August 1951, Bula in May 1952.
Photo: Vladimír Klepáč, Fairpress
