The newly established Diocese of Tallinn announced in December that Pope Francis has finally approved the beatification of Archbishop Eduard Profittlich SJ (1890–1942). The beatification will take place in Tallinn according to the rules of the Holy See within a few months.
In a statement from the diocese, it was said that “this is a historic event for Estonia and its people. Archbishop Eduard Profittlich, following the Pope’s guidance and remaining faithful to himself and God, chose to share the common fate of so many Estonians. He stayed in Estonia with the people and the Church he loved, even though he had the opportunity to return to his homeland in Germany. He remained true to his vocation and God until the very end, which ultimately led to his martyrdom in the Kirov prison in the Soviet Union.”
Estonian Catholics have waited a long time for this day, as the beatification process has been ongoing for over 21 years. This is the first beatification in the history of the Catholic Church in Estonia and one of the first in all of Northern Europe since the 16th century. “The Pope’s decision carries great symbolic significance for all of Estonia.”
Estonian Catholics are especially delighted that “the beatification will take place during the Catholic Jubilee Year 2025, a tradition dating back to the year 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII invited all believers to celebrate the first jubilee year with the Church.”
Eduard Profittlich was born in Birresdorf, Germany. After studying philosophy and theology in Valkenburg, he moved to Poland in 1922, where he pursued further studies. He later served as a parish priest in Poland and Germany. In 1930, he was sent to Estonia to serve and build the Catholic Church. He was appointed Apostolic Administrator in 1931 and later Archbishop in 1936.
Eduard Profittlich held Estonian citizenship, learned the Estonian language, and was a great friend of Estonian culture and people. Largely thanks to Archbishop Profittlich’s dedication, the pastoral work of the Catholic Church in Estonia reached a new level. Soviet authorities arrested Profittlich in June 1941 and sent him to the Kirov prison, where he was sentenced to death. Archbishop Profittlich died on February 22, 1942, in Kirov before the sentence could be carried out.
KATT / katoliku.ee