Translation of the article into Italian
Anton de Wit (editor of the weekly Katholiek Nieuwsblad, Netherlands), Wilfred Kemp (head of Catholic radio and television programs for the Dutch public broadcaster) and Emmanuel van Lierde (editor-in-chief of the weekly Tertio, Belgium) and Hendro Munsterman (Nederlands Dagblad) are the initiators of a letter to Pope Francis in which they ask the pontiff to declare Titus Brandsma the patron saint of Catholic communicators, together with the current patronage of St. Francis de Sales.
A petition that has already been joined by numerous communication professionals of different nationalities, and to which the promoters of the petition are invite you to join other Catholic media professionals.
A connoisseur of today's journalism
In the letter of petition to Pope Francis, the journalists highlight the figure of Titus Brandsma "for the Catholic community in the Netherlands" and underline his journalistic work.
Brandsma "was editor-in-chief of a newspaper, dedicated himself to the modernization and professionalization of the Catholic daily press in the Netherlands and worked to improve working conditions and the creation of professional training for journalists. Tito Brandsma carried out his work in the context of the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe. In word and deed he opposed the language of hatred and division that was common at the time. In his opinion, what today we call fake news did not deserve a platform in the Catholic press; he got the episcopate to prohibit the printing of National Socialist propaganda in Catholic newspapers".
The petitioners also recall 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, they also recognize in Brandsma "a professional and faithful man of remarkable stature. Someone who shared the most profound mission of journalism in modern times: the search for truth and veracity, the promotion of peace and dialogue between peoples".
The signatories of this letter add that Titus Brandsma is a journalist in the modern sense of the word. His patronage, along with that of St. Francis de Sales, brings a knowledge of journalism today and the dedication of his life "for the free press to defend human values against all terror".
Death in Dachau
Tito Brandsma was arrested by the occupation forces in early 1942 and sent to the Dachau concentration camp. A diary and several letters sent to superiors, relatives and friends give an account of his days in the concentration camp. In them he described the overcrowded conditions in his cell and the mistreatment, but never expressed sadness. On July 26 of the same year, Brandsma was killed by lethal injection. On the same day, the Dutch bishops had their courageous protest against the deportations of Jews read out in all the churches.
The Dutch Carmelite will be canonized on May 15, together with nine other Blesseds such as Charles de Foucault, the French Maria Rivier or Maria de Jesus, foundress of the Capuchin Sisters of the Immaculate of Lourdes. The outcome of the petition, put on the table by this group of journalists, is not yet known.
