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The Blessed Bernhard Lichtenberg (3 December 1875 – 5 November 1943) was a German Roman Catholic priest and theologian, who died while in the custody of forces of the Third Reich. He has been awarded the title of Righteous among the Nations and has been beatified by the Catholic Church. ==Life== Lichtenberg was born in Ohlau (now Oława), Prussian Silesia, near Breslau (now Wrocław), the second of five children. He studied theology in Innsbruck, Austria-Hungary and was ordained in 1899.〔("Bl. Bernhard Lichtenberg", ''Heroes of the Holocaust'', Catholic Heritage Curricula )〕 Lichtenberg began his ministry in Berlin in 1900, as the pastor of Charlottenburg. For a time he also was a member of the local parliament for the Centre Party. In 1931, the Bishop of Berlin appointed him as a canon of the Cathedral chapter of St. Hedwig and in 1938 as provost of the cathedral, entrusting to him the task of helping Jewish community of the city. After Kristallnacht, the first organized Nazi pogrom in Germany, Lichtenberg would pray publicly for the Jews at Vespers services. He protested in person to Nazi officials 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.〔 Deploring the regime of concentration camps like that of Dachau, he organized demonstrations against them outside certain camps.〔("BB. Karl Leisner and Bernhard Lichtenberg", St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Irondequoit, New York )〕 In 1942, Lichtenberg protested against the euthanasia programme by way of a letter to the chief physician of the Reich 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."〔Gilbert, Sir Martin, (The Second World War: A Complete History ), p. 228, MacMillan 2004〕 Lichtenberg was arrested and condemned to prison.〔 Because he was considered incorrigible, he was sent to the Dachau concentration camp, but he collapsed and died while in transit,〔 on 5 November 1943 in Hof, Bavaria.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bernhard Lichtenberg」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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