Pope Francis approves beatification of martyred Estonian Archbishop Eduard Profittlich

Martyred Estonian Archbishop Eduard Profittlich. Photo: Rooma-katoliku kiriku Tallinna piiskopkond

On Wednesday, Pope Francis granted the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tallinn permission to beatify Archbishop Eduard Profittlich, who lived in Estonia from 1930 and later died in a Kirov prison.

The beatification will take place in Tallinn in a few months, in accordance with the Holy See's protocols. The diocese will announce the official date in January.

Archbishop Eduard Profittlich chose to share the fate of many Estonians, staying in the country with its people and church despite having the opportunity to return to his native Germany. This decision ultimately led to his martyrdom in a Soviet prison in Kirov.

The Catholic Church in Estonia has awaited this day for over 21 years. The beatification is a historic milestone -- the first in the history of the Catholic Church in Estonia and among the first in the Nordic region since the 16th century.

Born in 1890 in Birresdorf, Germany, Eduard Profittlich studied philosophy and theology in Valkenburg. In 1922, he moved to Poland, where he pursued doctoral-level studies in philosophy and theology before working as a parish priest in Poland and Germany. In 1930, he was sent to Estonia to serve and rebuild the Catholic Church.

In 1931, he was appointed apostolic administrator, and in 1936, Pope Pius XII named him archbishop. Profittlich, who held Estonian citizenship, became fluent in Estonian. In June 1941, the Soviet authorities arrested him and sent him to Kirov prison, where he was sentenced to death. Archbishop Profittlich died on Feb. 22, 1942, in Kirov before his sentence was carried out.