Poll: 24 percent of Czechs believe in God

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A poll taken just after Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Prague and Brno last month suggests just 24 percent of Czechs believe in God, authorities said.

Of those polled, residents of Moravia age 58 and older were the most likely to believe in God, while residents of Prague and Central Bohemia were the least likely to believe in God, the Center for Analysis and Empirical Research said.

Just 10 percent of respondents said they attend church regularly, while 28 percent said they attend church occasionally, the Czech news agency CTK reported.

The poll, conducted several days after the 82-year-old German-born pontiff spent three days in the Czech Republic, suggested just 17 percent of Czech residents agree with the restitution of church property confiscated under the Communist regime.

Of those polled, nearly 68 percent said they opposed the restitution while 15 percent said they were undecided.

The poll conducted Oct. 1-3 interviewed 16,890 Czech residents ages 18 to 68 and had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.