Three priests from Wipperfürth: heroes of faith against the Nazi terror
Three priests from Wipperfürth: heroes of faith against the Nazi terror
In memory of the victims of the National Socialist regime, the fates of three Catholic priests from the Wipperfürth region come back to life. Hubert Berger, Friedrich Dinstühler and Leopold Mathäus Delhez made a prize to the Christian values and were persecuted for it. These priests are part of the work "Witnesses for Christ. The German Martyrologium of the 20th century", edited by Prelate Helmut Moll on behalf of the German Bishops' Conference. In this there are over 1000 Catholics who are considered martyrs because they suffered suffering due to their faith or lost their lives. reports .
The life stories of these priests are deeply impressive and show the courage that was necessary to stand against the regime. Hubert Berger, born on October 6, 1889 in Furth, was ordained a priest in 1915. His critical sermons led to his arrest by the Gestapo. After his return from the Dachau concentration camp on April 4, 1945, he was celebrated in his community, but died in 1948 the consequences of his detention. He left an inheritance of determination and believe.
Friedrich Dinstühler and Leopold Mathäus Delhez
Friedrich Dinstühler, also a student of the Engelbert von mountain high school, was born on October 20, 1886 in Marienheide. After working as a priest in the 1920s, he quickly became conflict with the authorities due to his rejection of the Nazi ideology. His arrest and the subsequent death on March 30, 1945 shortly before the exemption from the Allies are another example of the high price that many priests paid. In Marienheide, a stele is reminiscent of his work and a stumbling block in Eschweiler, which was set in 2015.
Leopold Mathäus Delhez, born in 1879, was a pastor in Wipperfürth-Agathaberg and Mürringen. His arrest in May 1942 led him to the Dachau concentration camp, where he died of a Ruhrepidemic on January 27, 1943. His denunciation shows how much the regime -critical behavior of Catholics has been persecuted, which testifies to a broad social rejection of National Socialism.
The Church in National Socialism
The relationship between the Catholic Church and National Socialism is characterized by complexity. While National Socialism tried to replace any form of Christianity with ideologies of racial theory and the blood religion, some priests and lay people found the courage to oppose this. Studies show that about 95% of the clergymen in the Dachau concentration camp, and over 1034 of them there died there, mostly not from natural causes DetailsOrt Wipperfürth, Deutschland Quellen