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Father Marie Benot

Father Marie-Benoit "The Father of the Jews"

Father Marie-Benoit, whose real name Pteul Pierre (born 30 March 1895 , at Bourg d'Ir ( Maine-et-Loire ) and died on 5 February 1990 ) was a Capuchin priest, known for his Action Jews during the Second World War.

Summary

Biography

Pierre Pteul porter is aspiring to the 15th Rifles during the Great War and the campaign added to his military experience Morocco. Croix de Guerre and five citations mark those years that made familiar with the danger, suffering, and have proven their courage and strength. Became a Capuchin, he was ordained priest and continued his studies, doctor of philosophy. Here teacher and spiritual director at the International College of the College in Rome. The Italian language and culture are biblical become second nature.

The Second World War

Mobilized in 1939 , he found himself in Marseilles in 1940 as an interpreter at the headquarters of General Billotte at the 15 th ID. It stays put.

The convent of the Capuchin Marseille , 51 rue de la Croix de Regnier be his first headquarters. It helps airmen Anglo American, French and allies pursued by the Gestapo. "Just arrived, a Jewish family in pain came to me, then another ... many more! "Thousands of forged passports, baptismal certificates and other papers" Aryan "came out of presses installed in the cellars, and their invaluable help, hundreds of refugees could even cross the border with Spain and Switzerland, in collaboration with committees of Jews Marseille, Nice , Cannes .. Father Marie-Benoit was allied with the French Resistance and the General Union of Jews in France , but he had quickly become the subject of surveillance by the Gestapo and when the German troops had invaded the free zone, the ways of escape to Spain and Switzerland found themselves condemned. The only practicable way was through the Riviera and the Haute-Savoie , run by Italian troops and floating perplexed.

In Nice, Father Marie-Benoit managed to win the sympathy and assistance of Italian officials, and with their help and funds from Jewish institutions, he managed to smuggle thousands of Jews in Italian-occupied zone. It was in Nice he met Angelo Donati ( Italian Jew Bank chief credit Franco-Italian) who tells him of his project: the transfer by boat 30,000 Jews to the Italian coast of Africa North. But to achieve it, he hoped the support of the Holy See with the Italian authorities. Before leaving France, he moved to Lyon , meet Jewish authorities of the Central Consistory of France where they have fled, to speak on their behalf.

At Rome , "For my part, I returned to Rome and my post at the International College of the Capuchins at 156 Via Cecilia. It should seek the support of Pope Pius XII, with the Italian authorities, "" On 16 July 1943, I present the draft to the Supreme Pontiff Donati ... I mean the attitude of the Vichy police, causing the reflection Pope's "One would not have believed it of France". " In addition to Project Donati, he informed the Pope of three projects, in particular the intervention of the pope with the Spanish authorities to facilitate the repatriation of Jews of Spanish nationality. "Pope said:" It interests me I'll do it '. " On August 5 1943 Bishop Jacques Martin confirmed that the papers of P. Mary Benedict are under consideration, if other explanations are necessary we will call. "I received no mission Vatican , because I was unknown. The Secretary of the United States and the British Embassy were refugees. We went to find them in secret ... "

He will then receive the assistance of Allied resistance movement created to hide in and around Rome, prisoners of war fled, allied pilots, Jews, Communists. This organization will include, among others, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Ambassador of Great Britain Sir Perceval Osborne, Mr Francis Vial , attached to the Embassy of France to the Holy See, Mr. Yves Debroise, Consul of France, and Mr. Sommaruga, Minister Plenipotentiary of Switzerland.

The fall of Mussolini accelerates the turnaround in Italy, which in turn becomes a place of danger for all Jews. The Germans occupied the French zone. Later, shortly before liberation, the Father once again brushed the disaster. Mission in northern Italy, to find points of passage to Switzerland , he found himself in a bar in Milan with his assistant, Schwamm, to meet someone who might help them. But it's an ambush organized by the Fascist police. Schwamm gets arrested, not without being able to discreetly notify the father, who manages to escape and return to Rome. Denounced again, several times, and actively sought by the Gestapo, the father finally had to hide away from her convent.

On September 8th 1943 , is published the news of the armistice with the Allies. The Germans are everywhere. The vast project of evacuation to North Africa fails. But Father Marie Benoit goes to the Gestapo chief who promises not to intervene, provided that the Jews left Rome as soon as possible. For a pure hoax - the replacement of identity documents - the capuchin was led to believe that all were gone, as they awaited the release in the same city, under new identities.

On 4 June 1944 Rome was liberated. When the Allies entered Rome and the Jewish crowd and found herself in front of the synagogue is no longer able to recover the key, the crowd was so confused, then in the middle of the crowd became the father said Marie Benoit Benedetto, who revealed the whereabouts of the key.

Yad Vashem

the memorial of heroes and martyrs of the Holocaust on the first place among the righteous: "The Capuchin monk-Marie Benoit helped hundreds of Jews escape to Switzerland and Spain from the South of France. Hunted by the Gestapo, he fled to Rome where he continued his rescue work from his office at the College of the Capuchins, in coordination with the main Jewish social organization (Delasem). Legendary figure, he was dubbed the father of those Jews he saved. "

Ordered to account for its action, the father said: "I have a tree planted in the Avenue of the Righteous at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. This tree is not just me, there is both courageous Jews with whom I fought and without which I would not do much. I appoint: Joseph Andrew Bass, Maurice Brener, Angelo Donati , Stefan Schwamm, Settimo Serani, Giuseppe Levi, Aron Karsterstein. Rather, in their name I mean. "

After the war

At the conference Seelisberg ( 1947 ) Father Marie-Benoit, and his brother Fr Calixte represent the Church of Rome to confirm the new attitude of the Church towards the Jewish people, which will culminate in the Declaration Nostra Aetate 4 Second Vatican Council.

He thus managed to save about 4000 Jews. On 5 February 1990 , the "father of the Jews died at the age of 94.

Quotes

Its action corresponded perfectly to his private thoughts on the people of Israel, he would later explain:

  • "The first reason is general, is justice. The reign of Jesus Christ is a reign of love, is because of this, a reign of justice: who sincerely loves his neighbor, first meets her right to life and therefore can not remain indifferent and passive to as atrocious and unjustified persecution. The duty to intervene is imperative. "

But there is also a specifically Christian reason for this intervention:

  • "Christians feel spiritual son of the great patriarch Abraham. Pope Pius XI said the still, 6 September 1938, calling him "our patriarch Abraham, our elder in the faith." Which is sufficient to prevent any anti-Semitism, a movement which we Christians, we can have no part, because through Jesus Christ, we are the descendants of Abraham. He is the Father of believers, to whom we are indebted to the faith and trust in God, obedience to his generous willingness of our walk in his presence. "
  • "Christians have in common with the Jewish people the sublime doctrine of Moses that all men are created in the image of God are sons of God, so brothers to each other and des-called to live in the fraternity observance of the Decalogue mosaic. For more than three centuries that the Decalogue remains immutable and indispensable basis of all human progress and permanence of peace. Christians and Jews recite the same psalms contained in the Bible, which are the most beautiful prayers that man has ever been sent to his Creator and Father of all .... "

On 4 June 1944 , when the crowd is cheering to celebrate the victory, with two rabbis of the Allied armies:

  • "I take part in the feelings of all, mingled joy and pain, for if the release is a happy fact, many mourn the victims and the prisoners still suffer in the distance. More than 2,000 Roman Jews were taken. Foreigners, we would have all saved without the infamous betrayal of two young French. (...) Like the Jews with all my heart. My mission battle was over. "



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