Josef Beran

His Eminence

Josef Beran

Cardinal
Archbishop of Prague
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdiocesePrague
SeePrague
Appointed4 November 1946
Term ended17 May 1969
PredecessorKarel Kašpar
SuccessorFrantišek Tomášek
Other post(s)Cardinal-Priest of Santa Croce in Via Flaminia (1965-69)
Orders
Ordination10 June 1911
by Pietro Respighi
Consecration8 December 1946
by Saverio Ritter
Created cardinal22 February 1965
by Pope Paul VI
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born
Josef Beran

(1888-12-29)29 December 1888
Died17 May 1969(1969-05-17) (aged 80)
Pontifical Nepomucene College, Rome, Italy
BuriedSaint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City (until 2018)
Saint Vitus Cathedral (from 2018)
Alma materPontifical Urbaniana University
MottoEucharistia et labor ("Eucharist and labor")
Coat of armsJosef Beran's coat of arms
Sainthood
AttributesCardinal's attire
Styles of
Josef Beran
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeePrague
Ordination history of
Josef Beran
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained byPietro Respighi
Date10 June 1911
PlaceBasilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome, Kingdom of Italy
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorSaverio Ritter
Co-consecratorsMoric Picha
Antonin Eltschkner
Date8 December 1946
PlaceSaint Vitus Cathedral, Prague, Czechoslovakia
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Paul VI
Date22 February 1965
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Josef Beran as principal consecrator
Joseph Matocha2 May 1948

Josef Beran (29 December 1888 – 17 May 1969) was a Czech Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Prague from 1946 until his death. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965.[1][2][3]

Adam Beran was imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp during World War II after the Nazis had targeted him for "subversive and dangerous" behavior where he almost died in 1943 due to disease. He was freed in 1945 upon Allied liberation and Pope Pius XII nominated him to head the Prague archdiocese.[2] But the introduction of the communist regime saw him imprisoned and placed under house arrest. His release in 1963 came with the condition that he could not perform his episcopal duties and he was later exiled to Rome in 1965 as part of a coordinated deal between the church and the national government.[1][3]

His cause for canonization opened in 1998 and he became titled as a Servant of God.[3] He was granted the rare honor of being buried in Saint Peter's Basilica upon his death and remained the sole Czech national to be buried there until 2018 when his remains were transferred back to his native homeland for interment in the Saint Vitus Cathedral.[1][4]

  1. ^ a b c Salvador Miranda. "Consistory of February 22, 1965 (I)". The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Beran, Josef". New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2003. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Servo di Dio Josef Beran". Santi e Beati. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  4. ^ Larry Peterson (9 January 2018). "Czech cardinal who survived Nazi death camp's "clergy barracks" is finally going home". Retrieved 21 April 2018.