Daniel Herman

Who is Daniel Herman?

Daniel Herman is a former Czech Catholic priest and politician. While still a priest he was spokesman of the Czech Bishops' Conference. In 2010, he was appointed Director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes by the Czech government.

He was born in České Budějovice, and began studying theology in Litoměřice in 1984. In 1989, he was ordained as a priest. He then became secretary to Miloslav Vlk. He was spokesman of the Czech Bishops' Conference 1996–2005. In 2007, he applied for laicization. He has since worked as a civil servant for the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Culture. From 12 August 2010 to 10 April 2013, he was the Director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. Since January, 2014, he is Czech Minister of Culture in Bohuslav Sobotka's Cabinet.