Litany of Saints
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Josef Beran

Czech cardinal and archbishop of Prague, imprisoned at Dachau and later interned by the Communist regime

Servant of GodFull write-upCzechia
Born
29 December 1888
verified
Died
17 May 1969
verified
Beatified
—
not yet
Canonised
—
not yet

Who they were

Josef Beran, born at Plzeň, was held in Nazi camps including Dachau from 1942 to 1945, became archbishop of Prague in 1946, was interned by the Communist government for years and died in exile in Rome in 1969.

The miracles

No miracle has been approved. The cause is at its first stage.

Why that counted as sanctity

The beatification process was opened by Cardinal Miloslav Vlk at the archbishop's palace in Prague on 2 April 1998; the diocesan phase was closed by Cardinal Dominik Duka on 17 May 2018 and the documents were handed to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome on 27 February 2019.

The cause

Josef Beran is named a Servant of God; the cause continues. Favours received, and offers of help, go to the postulation, the office that carries the cause forward: The cause of Josef Beran.

A miracle approved by the Holy See is needed for the next step. Reporting one begins with the postulation.

Connected on this site

  • Giuseppe Girotti Blessed
    “Girotti was arrested in 1944 and moved from prison to prison before being imprisoned at the Dachau concentration camp, where he befriended Josef Beran and Carlo Manziana.” — Wikipedia
  • Richard Henkes Blessed
    “It was during that time that he befriended Josef Beran (future cardinal) who taught him the Czech language.” — Wikipedia
Sources

Checked against the sources listed on 24 September 2026. Corrections welcome.

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