The capital of Estonia is getting ready for a historic event: the beatification of Archbishop Eduard Gottlieb Profittlich, SJ (1890-1942), a martyr for the faith and the first figure of the Catholic Church in the country, will take place on September 6. The ceremony will be held in Freedom Square and will be presided over on behalf of the Pope by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna. The faithful from all over Estonia are expected to attend.
Profittlich, a German Jesuit who dedicated his life to the mission in Estonia, arrived in the country in 1930 and quickly became a point of reference for the local Catholic community. Appointed apostolic administrator in 1931 and archbishop in 1936, he obtained Estonian citizenship and worked with dedication to consolidate the Church.
Philippe Jourdan, Bishop of Tallinn and promoter of the cause for his beatification, points out that "there is much to learn from Archbishop Eduard Profittlich. He was an open person with a great capacity for communication. He always had time for everyone and communicated with many families, regardless of their religious affiliation. With his dignified attitude, he won the favor of Estonians in Estonian society. The Catholic Church in Estonia does not forget Eduard Profittlich, who shared the fate of our people and the Church during the most difficult time in the country's history."
Faithful in times of persecution
The archbishop's fate was sealed after the Soviet occupation in 1940. Despite an invitation to return to Germany, Profittlich decided to remain with his faithful. He was arrested in June 1941 and transferred to Kirov prison, 800 kilometers from Moscow. After months of nightly interrogations, he was sentenced to death for alleged anti-revolutionary activities, although he died in prison on February 22, 1942, before the sentence was carried out.
For decades, the whereabouts and circumstances of his death remained hidden. Only after Estonian independence did the details of his martyrdom become known, which opened the way for his cause of beatification. Bishop Jourdan explains that "during the Soviet occupation, the life of the Church in Estonia was poor and, to be honest, it was even very difficult to practice the faith here, in occupied territory, for more than 50 years. People were completely unaware of Profittlich's fate. All the information about his death spread when Estonia gained independence and recovered some documents of deported and arrested people, among them Profittlich's interrogation protocols from Kirov prison in 1941. Immediately, the debate about his beatification began in the Catholic Church".
Hope for Estonian Catholics
Pope Francis approved the decree of beatification in December 2024, recognizing Profittlich's martyrdom "in odium fidei". His episcopal motto, Fides et Pax ("Faith and Peace"), symbolizes his dedication and will be a focus of inspiration during the ceremony. For Estonian Catholics, the beatification represents a witness of fidelity in the midst of persecution; for the universal Church, an example of unwavering faith in the face of hostility and violence.
On September 6, Estonia will celebrate not only a pastor and martyr, but a new intercessor who connects the memory of a painful past with the hope of a future of faith and freedom. The expectation in Tallinn is at its highest, and the Catholic community is preparing to live a historic moment of prayer, reflection and recognition.
