Spanish
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was the scene this Saturday of the beatification of 50 French Catholics murdered by the Nazis at the end of the Second World War, in what was announced as the most relevant ceremony of this type in France.
It was reported that the new blesseds belonged to a group of priests, religious, seminarians, scouts and militants of Catholic Action, many of them young people linked to a clandestine chaplaincy that was formed around the Compulsory Work Service (STO), a system implemented by the Vichy regime to forcibly send thousands of French people to work in Germany.
The honorees, aged between 19 and 58, were arrested and deported to concentration camps due to their spiritual activities, including accompanying young people forced to work for the Nazi regime.
His clandestine mission, known as Mission Saint Paul, aimed to sustain the faith of those suffering displacement and exploitation, facing the prohibition imposed by the head of the Gestapo, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, who since December 1943 had forbidden all Catholic activity in the STO. Ernst Kaltenbrunner was the head of the Gestapo responsible for prohibiting all Catholic activity in the STO in 1943 (Grosby)
The beatification mass was presided over by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, in front of numerous faithful, bishops, religious figures, and relatives of the martyrs. As mentioned by the official website of Notre Dame de Paris, the reading of the apostolic letter signed by Pope Leo XIV established its annual commemoration for May 5, highlighting the "testimony of consolation of the Gospel" offered by the new blessed. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich presided over the historic beatification ceremony in Paris (Reuters) The act included the unveiling of the official image of the martyrs and a homily in which Hollerich emphasized that "all, without exception, made their lives, their activities, their imprisonment and their martyrdom a service." In addition, he invited to consider these blessed as models of service for the Church today. The story that motivates the beatification dates back to February 16, 1943, when the Vichy government accepted the forced requisition of French citizens to support the Nazi war machine. It is estimated that between 600,000 and 650,000 people were transferred to camps and factories in Germany. Many arrested for religious reasons ended up in centers such as Buchenwald, Mauthausen and Dachau (Danvis Collection) Some French bishops created forms of secret religious assistance, a task that exposed them to persecution by the Nazi authorities. After the formal prohibition of any Catholic apostolate in December 1943, many members of this network were arrested, tortured, or deported to camps such as Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Dachau, and Neuengamme. The vast majority did not survive the extreme conditions, abuse, or diseases contracted during internment. Repression within the camps included torture, summary convictions, and total disregard for human dignity (CBW) The act in the French capital took place in an atmosphere of solemnity and reconciliation, with the presence of French faithful and an international representation. Among the new blesseds are the priest Raymond Cayré, the religious Gérard-Martin Cendrier, the seminarian Roger Vallée and the layman Jean Mestre, who led the clandestine spiritual support group in the labor camps.
