Thursday, February 5, 2015

FRIAR PERE MARIE-BENOIT (MARCH 3, 1895 TO FEBRUARY 5, 1990)



We Christians claim to be spiritual children of the patriarch Abraham. This should be enough reason to exclude any kind of anti-Semitism whatsoever, anti-Semitism being an ideology which we Christians cannot in any way share and be part of.

- Père Marie-Benoît
 

Unit 1012 will honor and always remember Père Marie-Benoît, every year on February 5, as he passed away on that date in 1990. We do not remember him only on his feast day but also on his birthday on March 30. We will remember and honor him for saving thousands of Jews during the Holocaust and he rightfully deserves to be recognized by the State of Israel as Righteous among the Nations.

His story should be an inspiration for us to support victims’ rights and defend the use of the death penalty by speaking out against evil and saving lives. We also learn to take a Christian approach in doing the right thing by helping those who suffer injustice. We will post information about him from Wikipedia and other links.


Père Marie-Benoît


Born
3 March 1895
Bourg d'Iré, France
Died
5 February 1990 (aged 94)
Other names
Pierre Péteul

Church
Roman Catholic Church
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin

Père Marie-Benoît (Anglicized, Father Mary Benedict; in Italian, known as Padre Maria Benedetto; 30 March 1895 – 5 February 1990), born Pierre Péteul, was a Capuchin Franciscan friar who helped smuggle approximately 4,000 Jews into safety from Nazi-occupied Southern France. On 1 December 1966, he was honored with the Medal of the Righteous among the Nations for his courage and self-sacrifice. His actions to save Jews during the Holocaust were the reason for his epithet Father of the Jews (French: Père des juifs).

Life before World War II

Actions in wartime

In Marseilles

In Nice

In Rome

Recognition

When Rome was liberated in June 1944, the Jewish community—led by Rabbi Israel Zoller—held an official synagogue ceremony in honor of Father Benoît, "shower[ing] him with praise." Years later, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson delivered a speech in which he said that Father Benoît's "wonderful actions" should "inspire the American people in the protection and preservation of the rights of citizens, irrespective of race, color or religion."

On 1 December 1966, Yad Vashem officially recognized Father Benoit as a Righteous Among the Nations. Overall, he helped thousands of Jews to reach Switzerland and Spain from the South of France, or escape by other means. Even being pursued by the Gestapo, he escaped to Rome, where he continued his efforts for the Jews.

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