Czech TV Shows Canonization of Nun by John Paul

Pope John Paul II canonized Princess Agnes of Bohemia, a medieval Czechoslovak nun, on Sunday in the first papal ceremony broadcast on state television in the Communist nation.

The pontiff also formally conferred sainthood on a Polish friar, Adam Chmielowski.

More than 9,000 Czechoslovaks, including a government delegation, packed St. Peter’s Basilica to watch the canonization of the princess who turned nun and laid a framework for social work in 13th-Century Bohemia, a region that became part of modern Czechoslovakia.

The live, hourlong broadcast and the unprecedented move of granting travel visas to Czechoslovak pilgrims reflected a marked improvement in relations between Prague and the Holy See in recent months.

The decision to broadcast the ceremony appeared to be in line with an official effort to prevent Roman Catholic dissent at a time when Czechoslovakia’s orthodox Communist leaders are becoming increasingly isolated from shifts toward democracy in other eastern European countries.

Also canonized Sunday was Chmielowski, known as “Brother Albert.” He was a 19th-Century painter of religious themes who founded hostels for the poor and homeless. He became a Franciscan friar and established a congregation of friars.