Young people in the Brno diocese and their perception of the Roman Catholic Church

This master's thesis examines the relationship between young people and the Roman Catholic Church in the Czech Republic in the context of strategic communication. Although Czech society is among the least institutionally religious in Europe, research indicates a persistent interest in spiritual issues. The aim of this thesis is to explore why young people show low levels of trust in the Roman Catholic Church and limited interest in its institutional form, despite maintaining a strong interest in spirituality, and to identify potential intersections between their spiritual needs and the Church's current approach. The research is based on a qualitative methodology and draws on in-depth interviews with young people aged 15-30 from the South Moravian Region and the Vysočina Region. The analysis focuses on how respondents experience spirituality, which factors shape this experience, and how they perceive the Roman Catholic Church and its communication. The findings indicate that young people do not reject Christian faith as such; rather, they reject institutional environments that do not allow them to experience faith freely and authentically. Negative perceptions of the institutional dimension of the Church were significantly mitigated by personal experiences with church communities perceived as inclusive and...