Giuseppe Beotti

Giuseppe Beotti (26 August 1912 – 20 July 1944), was an Italian Catholic priest murdered by Nazi soldiers for his charitable activity.[1] Don Beotti, as he is known to Italian Catholics, was officially confirmed as a martyr by the Catholic Church on May 20, 2023.[2] By decision of Pope Francis, he was beatified in Piacenza Cathedral on September 30, 2023.[3]

Blessed

Giuseppe Beotti
Priest; Martyr
Born(1912-08-26)26 August 1912
Gragnano Trebbiense, Province of Piacenza, Kingdom of Italy
Died20 July 1944(1944-07-20) (aged 31)
Sidolo, Bardi, Province of Parma
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Beatified30 September 2023, Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta e Santa Giustina, Piacenza, Italy by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro
FeastJuly 20
AttributesPriestly vestments and martyr's palm

Early life

Born on August 26, 1912, in Campremoldo Sotto, a village close to the city of Gragnano Trebbiense, Kingdom of Italy. He was baptized on the day of his birth. He belonged to a simple farming family, the son of Emilio Beotti and his wife Ernesta Mori.[1] His father was conscripted into the armed forces in World War I, while his mother, Ernesta Mori, was in charge of caring for and educating the family in the Catholic faith. Between 1916 and 1919, Giuseppe lost three brothers, leaving only his two sisters. Between the war, work and studies, Beotti gradually discovered his religious vocation.[4]

In 1925, he entered the seminary of the diocese of Piacenza, and was ordained a priest on April 2, 1938. He began his ministry as parish priest in Borgonovo Val Tidone.[5]

He was known for his special sensitivity towards the needy families. He also gave his help to young people, fighting for the right to receive a quality education.[1]

In 1940, he was sent to the city of Bardi, serving as parish priest in the village of Sidolo. In the year 1944, the city was invaded by military troops Germans Nazis serving in World War II. However, he did not hesitate to lend his assistance without making any exceptions: about a hundred Jews were welcomed.[6] Resistant, guerrillas, fugitive soldiers, and prisoners who had escaped from war, persecuted and wounded were also helped by him. During this troubled period, he did not hesitate to defend the rights of his parishioners and, for this reason, he was subjected to a criminal process that, luckily for him, was unsuccessful.[7]

Faced with the various dangers that surrounded him, such as threats of arrest and Nazi reprisals, he did not flee. He remained in his parish in constant prayer.[8] On July 16, 1944, a Sunday, at mass he said: "If there is still a sacrifice left to stop this war, Lord, take me!"[7]

He was arrested and shot on the night of 20 July in Sidolo, together with he parish priest of Porcigatone, Francesco Delnevo and the seminarian Italo Subacchi, who had taken refuge in the church with him. He was then 31 years old.[9][10] Before being killed, he made the sign of the cross for the last time, holding firmly in his left hand the breviary with which he said the prayers.[7] His murder was motivated by hatred of the Nazis for violating their Anti-Semitic policy.[11]

Beatification

The cause of the beatification of Beotti was opened on November 21, 2010. The official conclusion of the process at the diocesan level took place on November 7, 2014, when the delivery of the testimonies to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.[12] On May 20, 2023, the Pope Francis made official the decree recognizing his martyrdom.[13][14] His beatification ceremony occurred on September 30, 2023, in the Piacenza Cathedral.[15]

References
  1. "Venerabile Servo di Dio Giuseppe Beotti" [Venerable Servant of God Giuseppe Beotti]. causesanti.va (in Italian).
  2. "PROMULGAZIONE NUOVI DECRETI" [PROMULGATION OF NEW DECREES]. causesanti.va (in Italian). 20 May 2023.
  3. "L'annuncio del vescovo: "Beatificazione di don Beotti il 30 settembre in cattedrale"" [The bishop's announcement: "Beatification of Don Beotti on 30 September in the cathedral]. liberta.it (in Italian). 4 July 2023.
  4. "Il sacerdote piacentino don Giuseppe Beotti sarà beatificato" [The Piacenza priest don Giuseppe Beotti will be beatified]. ilpiacenza.it (in Italian). 20 May 2023.
  5. "Don Beotti, Giovane Martire ucciso dai Nazisti: "Finché c'è un'anima da curare, io sto al mio posto"" [Don Beotti, Young Martyr killed by the Nazis: "As long as there is a soul to heal, I stay in my place]. it.churchpop.com (in Italian). 23 May 2023.
  6. "Pope Francis recognizes martyrdom of Italian priest shot by Nazis for saving Jews". americamagazine.org. 22 May 2023.
  7. "Decreto. Sarà beato don Giuseppe Beotti, il parroco martire ucciso dai nazisti a Sidolo" [Decree. Blessed will be Don Giuseppe Beotti, the martyred parish priest killed by the Nazis in Sidolo]. avvenire.it (in Italian). 20 May 2023.
  8. "Servo di Dio Giuseppe Beotti Sacerdote e martire" [Servant of God Giuseppe Beotti Priest and martyr]. santibeati.it (in Italian).
  9. "Il sacerdote Giuseppe Beotti, ucciso dai nazisti nel 1944, sarà beato: salvò centinaia di ebrei" [The priest Giuseppe Beotti, killed by the Nazis in 1944, will be blessed: he saved hundreds of Jews]. parmatoday.it (in Italian). 20 May 2023.
  10. "Papa Francesco riconosce il martirio di don Giuseppe Beotti fucilato nel 1945 dalle SS per aver difeso ebrei e partigiani (S.C.)" [Pope Francis recognizes the martyrdom of Don Giuseppe Beotti shot in 1945 by the SS for having defended Jews and partisans (S.C.)]. farodiroma.it (in Italian). 20 May 2023.
  11. "Church to beatify Fr Giuseppe Beotti, killed by Nazis in 1944". vaticannews.va. 20 May 2023.
  12. "DON GIUSEPPE BEOTTI: PROCESSO DI BEATIFICAZIONE" [DON GIUSEPPE BEOTTI: PROCESS OF BEATIFICATION]. diocesipiacenzabobbio.org (in Italian). 26 October 2014.
  13. "Promulgation of Decrees of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, 20.05.2023". press.vatican.va. 20 May 2023.
  14. "Sacrificò la vita per la sua gente: don Giuseppe Beotti sarà beatificato" [He sacrificed his life for his people: Don Giuseppe Beotti will be beatified]. liberta.it (in Italian). 20 May 2023.
  15. ""Il 30 settembre in Cattedrale la beatificazione di Don Beotti"" [On 30 September in the Cathedral the beatification of Don Beotti]. piacenzasera.it (in Italian). 4 July 2023.
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