Bernhard Lichtenberg | |
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 Bernhard Lichtenberg (photograph in the Diocesan archives) | |
| Martyr | |
| Born | 3 December 1875 Ohlau,Prussian Silesia,Kingdom of Prussia,German Empire |
| Died | 5 November 1943(1943-11-05) (aged 67) While being transported fromBerlin toDachau concentration camp, Germany |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 23 June 1996, Germany, byPope John Paul II |
| Majorshrine | St. Hedwig's Cathedral, Berlin |
| Feast | 5 November |
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Bernhard Lichtenberg (German:[ˈbɛʁn.haʁtˈlɪçtn̩ˌbɛʁk]ⓘ; 3 December 1875 – 5 November 1943) was aGermanCatholicpriest known for his outspoken opposition to theNazi regime’s persecution ofJews andother marginalized groups during theHolocaust. He became a notable symbol ofreligious liberty for his public condemnation of the Nazi government’s policies, including from the pulpit ofSt. Hedwig’s Cathedral inBerlin.[1][2] Despite widespread fear and suppression, Lichtenberg openly called for justice and the humane treatment of Jewish citizens, underscoring themoral responsibilities of religious leaders undertotalitarian regimes.
Lichtenberg was arrested and imprisoned for his activism and later died inGestapo custody while being transported toDachau concentration camp.[3] His death further cemented his reputation as amartyr for religious freedom andhuman rights.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."[4]
In 1996, Lichtenberg was beatified by the Catholic Church for his steadfast faith and moral courage. He was also recognized asRighteous Among the Nations byYad Vashem in 2004 for his efforts to aid Jews during the Holocaust, making him one of the few individuals honored for moral resistance across both religious and cultural communities.[2][5]
Lichtenberg was born inOhlau (now Oława),Prussian Silesia, nearBreslau (now Wrocław), the second of five children. He studied theology inInnsbruck,Austria-Hungary. He also studied in Breslau and was ordained in 1899.[6][7]
Lichtenberg began his ministry inBerlin in 1900, as thepastor ofCharlottenburg. He served as a military chaplain during World War I. During the period of 1913–1930, he was a minister at the cathedral Herz-Jesu-Gemeinde (Sacred Heart) inCharlottenburg, Berlin.[8] In 1932, theBishop of Berlin appointed him as acanon of theCathedral chapter ofSt. Hedwig.[6]
Lichtenberg's encouragement of Catholics to view a screening of thefilm version ofErich Maria Remarques' anti-war novelAll Quiet on the Western Front prompted a vicious attack byJoseph Goebbels' paperDer Angriff.[8] In 1933 the Secret State Police of Germany (Gestapo) had searched his house for the first time.[6]
Active in theCentre Party, in 1935 he went toHermann Göring to protest against the cruelties of theEsterwegen concentration camp.[6]
Namedprovost of the cathedral, in 1938, Lichtenberg was put in charge of the Relief Office of the Berlin episcopate, which assisted many Catholics of Jewish descent in emigrating from the Third Reich.[8] AfterKristallnacht, the first organizedNazipogrom in Germany, Lichtenberg warned at the Berlin Church of Saint Hedwig: "The synagogue outside is burning, and that is also a house of God!"[9] Until his arrest in October 1941, Lichtenberg would pray publicly for the persecuted Jews at the dailyVespers service. BishopKonrad von Preysing later entrusted him with the task of helping the Jewish community of the city.[6]
He protested in person to Nazi officials against the arrest and killing of the sick and mentally ill, as well as the persecution of the Jews. At first, the Nazis dismissed the priest as a nuisance. Father Lichtenberg was warned that he was in danger of being arrested for his activities, but he continued nonetheless.[7]
In 1941, Lichtenberg protested against theinvoluntary euthanasia programme by way of a letter to the chief physician of the Reich, Minister of Public HealthLeonardo Conti (1900–1945):
I, as a human being, a Christian, a priest, and a German, demand of you, Chief Physician of the Reich, that you answer for the crimes that have been perpetrated at your bidding, and with your consent, and which will call forth the vengeance of the Lord on the heads of the German people.[10]
The euthanasia in the health institutions of Nazi Germany was purportedly stopped soon after the church protests against euthanasia headed by the bishopsClemens August Graf von Galen andTheophil Wurm. "Nazi leaders faced the prospect of either having to imprison prominent, highly admired clergymen and other protesters – a course with consequences in terms of adverse public reaction they greatly feared – or else end the programme".[11]
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Lichtenberg was arrested on 23 October 1941 and sentenced to two years in prison for violation of thePulpit Law and theTreachery Act of 1934. He asked to accompany Jews to the East in order to provide comfort there.[10][12] Because he was considered incorrigible, he was picked up in 1943 by the Gestapo to be taken to theDachau concentration camp. He fell ill and died of pneumonia in hospital inHof, Bavaria.[13][10][6][3]
On 23 June 1996,Pope John Paul IIbeatified Bernhard Lichtenberg andKarl Leisner as martyrs. The beatification ceremony took place during a Mass celebrated in theOlympic Stadium in Berlin.[14] The date of his death, 5 November, was designated as the liturgical feast of Bernard Lichtenberg.[15] Thepostulator of Lichtenberg's canonisation case is Gotthard Klein.[16]
Lichtenberg's tomb is situated in the crypt ofSt. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin. After the war, the building with the office of the archbishop of Berlin was named "Bernhard Lichtenberg House".[17] In the memorial area of the former Esterwegen Concentration Camp, a memorial plaque was installed to honor Lichtenberg for his activities for the prisoners of the camp.
In the historic center of the town ofHof, the area in front of St. Mary's church has been named Bernhard-Lichtenberg-Platz since 2013 and on the initiative of pastor Hans-Jürgen Wiedow, a new parish center named after Bernhard Lichtenberg was constructed in 2016/17 under the St. Konrad's church in the town.[18]
On 7 July 2004, Yad Vashem recognized Bernhard Lichtenberg as a Righteous Among the Nations.[2]
On the occasion of the 150th birthday of Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg on 3 December 2025, a special postage stamp was issued. The stamp features a quote from the Beatified: "A person's actions are the consequences of their principles."[19]
