Roman Catholic Cardinal. He served as the Archbishop of Prague, Czech Republic from 1991 until 2010. He obtained his early education in Zaluzi and learned the value of hard work on his family's farm. He gravitated towards the priesthood, just prior to his teenage years and studied Theology, while earning wages at an automobile manufacturing plant. For two years, he served with the military. Following his discharge, he enrolled at the Arts Faculty of the Charles University in Prague, where he studied Archival Science and in 1950, he earned his degree. After holding various positions, he went on to study at the Theology Faculty of Sts Cyril and Methodius in Litomerice for four year, from 1964 until 1968. During the period known as "Prague Spring", he was ordained a priest on June 23, 1968. His first assignment was to serve as a secretary to the diocesan, Bishop of Ceske Budejovice Monseigneur Josef Hlouch. However, political authorities controlled by Communists, were concerned the Vlk may become too influential. The result was him being forced to relocate to isolated villages in the mountains of Laziste and Zablati. In 1972, he was assigned to serve as a priest in Rozmital pod Tremsinem. Once again the Communist authorities worried about Vlk becoming too effective on others, revoked his pastoral work for good. For ten years, Vlk worked as a window cleaner, before being allowed to return to the priesthood in 1989. In 1990, he was nominated Bishop of Ceske Budejovice and thirteen-months later (March 1991), he succeeded Cardinal Frantisek Tomasek as Archbishop of Prague and Primate of Bohemia. On November 26, 1994, he was elevated to Cardinal by Pope John Paul II. He retired in 2010. He died of complications from lung cancer.