Bernhard Lichtenberg, a Catholic priest and cathedral provost in Berlin, spent his ministry challenging the policies of the Third Reich. During the rise of the Nazi regime, he used the pulpit of St. Hedwig’s Cathedral to call for justice and human rights, specifically demanding humane treatment for Jewish citizens and victims of the involuntary euthanasia program.
Early Ministry and Education
Born in 1875 in Oława, then part of Prussian Silesia, Bernhard Lichtenberg completed his theological studies in Innsbruck and Wrocław. He received ordination in 1899. By 1900, he began his ministerial career in Berlin, serving as a pastor in Charlottenburg. During the First World War, he acted as a military chaplain. In 1932, the Bishop of Berlin appointed him a canon of the St. Hedwig’s Cathedral chapter.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Resistance to Nazi Policies
Lichtenberg’s opposition to the Nazi government was public and consistent. He encouraged the viewership of anti-war films, which drew the ire of Joseph Goebbels. Following the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938, he declared that the burning synagogue remained a house of God. As head of the Relief Office of the Berlin episcopate, he assisted Catholics of Jewish descent in emigrating and prayed daily for persecuted Jews during Vespers until his arrest.
Confronting Euthanasia
In 1941, Lichtenberg sent a formal letter to Leonardo Conti, the Minister of Public Health, denouncing the regime's involuntary euthanasia program. He asserted his duty as a priest and a German to demand an accounting for these actions. His persistent protests against the killing of the sick and mentally ill made him a primary target for the Gestapo, which had previously searched his home in 1933.
Imprisonment and Legacy
The authorities arrested Lichtenberg on 23 October 1941, sentencing him to two years under the Pulpit Law and the Treachery Act. While the state intended to transfer him to the Dachau concentration camp in 1943, he fell ill during transport and died of pneumonia in a hospital in Hof. The Catholic Church beatified him in 1996, and Yad Vashem honored him as Righteous Among the Nations in 2004.
Fast facts
- Born: 1875, Oława
- Died: 1943, Hof
- Ordained: 1899
- Beatified: 1996
- Righteous Among the Nations: 2004
- Burial site: St. Hedwig's Cathedral
- Nationality: German Reich
- Primary occupations: Priest, theologian, resistance fighter
Questions readers ask
Why was Bernhard Lichtenberg arrested?
He was arrested for violating the Pulpit Law and the Treachery Act of 1934 due to his public prayers for Jews and his vocal opposition to Nazi policies.
Is Bernhard Lichtenberg a saint?
He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1996, designating him as a martyr.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 2004
- Worked as Catholic priest, resistance fighter and theologian
- Educated at University of Wrocław
