Testo originale del articolo in inglese qui
Anton de Wit (director of the weekly Katholiek Nieuwsblad, Paesi Bassi), Wilfred Kemp (responsible for Catholic radio and television programs for the Dutch public broadcaster) and Emmanuel van Lierde (director of the weekly Tertio, Belgio) and Hendro Munsterman (Nederlands Dagblad) are promoters of a letter to Pope Francis in which they ask the pontiff to say Titus Brandsma
patron saint of Catholic communicators, adding it to the current patronage of St. Francis of Sales.
This petition, which the promoters invite other Catholic media professionals to join, has already been accepted by numerous communication professionals from various nationalities.
A connoisseur of today's journalism
In the letter of petition to Pope Francis, the journalists describe the importance of the figure of Titus.
Brandsma "for the Catholic community of the Bassi Countries" and they underline the journalistic work. Brandsma "has been the manager of a daily newspaper, has been dedicated to the modernization and professionalization of the Catholic daily press in the Bassi Countries, and has worked to improve the working conditions and
l'inventore della formazione professionale dei giornalisti.
Tito Brandsma has developed his work in the context of the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe. With words and facts he has opposed the language of hatred and division that was common at the time. In his view, what we now call 'fake news' did not deserve a place in the Catholic press; and he refused from the episcopate to ban the Nazi-Socialist propaganda press in Catholic newspapers".
The signatories also remember that this work was the cause of the martyrdom of the Carmelite whose writings became a point of reference for the moral and cultural resistance of the Dutch people. In this sense, moreover, Brandsma is recognized as "a professional man and a faithful of remarkable category. Egli was a man who has shared the most profound mission of journalism in modern times: the
research of truth and truthfulness, the promotion of peace and dialogue among peoples".
The signatories of this letter add that Tito Brandsma was a journalist in the modern sense of the term. His patronage, together with that of St. Francis of Sales, contributes to the knowledge of current journalism, with the dedication of his life "for the free expression for the defense of human values against any terror".
Death in Dachau
Tito Brandsma was arrested by the occupation forces in early 1942 and interned in the Dachau concentration camp. A diary and several letters sent to superiors, relatives and friends tell of his days in the camp. In them he described the conditions of exile in his cell and the mistreatment he received, but he never expressed sadness. On July 26th of the same year Brandsma was executed for lethal iniezione.
On the same day, the Dutch villagers had their courageous protest against the deportation of the Jews read out in all the churches.
The Dutch Carmelite will be canonized on May 15 together with other nine Blesseds such as Charles de Foucault, the French Marie Rivier or Mary of Jesus, founder of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Lourdes.
The purpose of the request, put on the table by this group of journalists, is still unknown.
