Church Beatifies German Priest Who Was Executed by Nazis in 1944

Originally published at National Catholic Register

The cardinal emphasized that Father Metzger’s twin commitments to peace and Christian unity were inseparable.

Father Max Josef Metzger, a Catholic priest executed by the Nazi regime in 1944 for his peace activism and ecumenical work, was beatified Sunday in Freiburg, Germany.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, presided over the beatification Mass at Freiburg Cathedral as the representative of Pope Francis, the diocese reported.

Father Max Josef Metzger, a Catholic priest executed by the Nazi regime in 1944 for his peace activism and ecumenical work, was beatified Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Freiburg, Germany. Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, presided over the beatification Mass at Freiburg Cathedral as the representative of Pope Francis. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, Germany

“His death is an eloquent testimony to what constitutes a martyr in the Christian understanding of faith,” he said, according to CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

Father Metzger, who served as a military chaplain during World War I, became a passionate advocate for peace and reconciliation between nations after witnessing the horrors of war. In 1917, he developed an “international religious peace