Bernhard Lichtenberg


Bernhard Lichtenberg
Fr. Bernhard Lichtenberg
Martyr
Born3 December 1875
Ohlau, Prussian Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died5 November 1943(1943-11-05) (aged 67)
While being transported from Berlin to Dachau concentration camp, Germany
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
(Germany)
Beatified23 June 1996, Germany, by Pope John Paul II
Major shrineSt. Hedwig's Cathedral,
Berlin, Germany
Feast5 November

Bernhard Lichtenberg (German: [ˈbɛʁn.haʁt ˈlɪçtn̩ˌbɛʁk] ; 3 December 1875 – 5 November 1943) was a German Catholic priest who became known for repeatedly speaking out, after the rise of Adolf Hitler and during the Holocaust, against the persecution and deportation of the Jews. After serving a jail sentence, he died in the custody of the Gestapo on his way to Dachau concentration camp.[1] Raul Hilberg wrote: "Thus a solitary figure had made his singular gesture. In the buzz of rumormongers and sensation seekers, Bernhard Lichtenberg fought almost alone."[2]

He was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1996 and recognized as Righteous among the Nations by Yad Vashem in 2004.[3][4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gaydosh2010p333 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Hilberg, Raul (2003). The Destruction of the European Jews. Vol. II (3rd ed.). New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 489. ISBN 0-300-09587-2.
  3. ^ Gaydosh, Brenda (2017). Bernhard Lichtenberg. Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr of the Nazi Regime, Lanham. p. 175.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference YadVashem was invoked but never defined (see the help page).