Deutsche Post honors Bernhard Lichtenberg: special stamp for the anniversary!

Deutsche Post honors Bernhard Lichtenberg: special stamp for the anniversary!

Deutsche Post will issue a special stamp in honor of Bernhard Lichtenberg on December 4, 2023, which will be published on his 150th birthday. The official presentation of the stamp will take place on December 16, 2023 in the crypt of Berlin's Hedwig's Cathedral. The 110 cent stamp shows a portrait of Lichtenberg, supplemented by his life dates (1875-1943) and the words: “Bernhard Lichtenberg - Catholic Priest - Defender of Humanity”. In this way, the memory of one of the most famous Catholic opponents of National Socialism is honored, who was known for his tireless commitment to human rights, as katholisch.de reports.

Bernhard Lichtenberg was born on December 3, 1875 in Ohlau, Lower Silesia, as the second of five children in a Catholic merchant family. He studied theology in Breslau and Innsbruck and was ordained a priest on June 21, 1899. From 1900 to 1941 he worked in Berlin, where, among other things, he served as a military chaplain during the First World War and was politically active in the Center Party. After his appointment as cathedral priest at St. Hedwig's Cathedral in 1932, he was increasingly confronted with the crimes of the National Socialists. After Kristallnacht in 1938, he publicly prayed for those persecuted by the Nazi regime and actively supported the Jewish community by praying daily for Jews and Christians of Jewish descent. According to Yad Vashem, he was honored as a “Righteous Among the Nations,” highlighting his tireless work for persecuted Jews.

The use as a priest and resistance fighter

From 1938, Lichtenberg took over the management of the “Aid Organization at the Episcopal Ordinariate in Berlin” and thereby intensified his commitment against the Nazi regime. On March 31, 1933, he was active in protesting against the planned boycott of Jewish businesses and arranged a meeting between the Jewish banker Oskar Wassermann and Cardinal Bertram. Despite the danger associated with such activities, Lichtenberg fearlessly criticized the Nazis, particularly in a letter to Reich Health leader Leonardo Conti protesting the monstrosity of euthanasia. This led to his arrest by the Gestapo on October 23, 1941.

After his arrest, he was sentenced to two years in prison before a special court on May 22, 1942 for “abuse of the pulpit.” Even in prison, his convictions remained strong, and he refused to accept an agreement with the Gestapo that offered him freedom if he stopped preaching. He even protested that he wanted to accompany deported Jews to Lodz. After serving his sentence, he was eventually sent to the Dachau concentration camp, where he died on November 5, 1943 while being transported to the camp, according to Wikipedia.

The legacy of Bernhard Lichtenberg

Bernhard Lichtenberg was beatified as a martyr by Pope John Paul II on June 23, 1996, and his memorial day is November 5. His commitment to human rights and his resistance to injustice are still of great importance today. In addition to his posthumous honor as “Righteous Among the Nations,” a bust was erected in his honor in the Bernhard Lichtenberg House in Berlin in 2005. Furthermore, the first Catholic parish with his name was founded in Hof in 2017 and there is also a parish and a school in Berlin that honor him.

The upcoming special stamp will not only keep the memory of a courageous resistance fighter alive, but will also help pass on the lessons from his attitude and actions today to future generations.