#84 John Dear on meeting Franziska Jagerstatter in Austria and reflecting on the life and courage of her husband Franz Jagerstatter, one of the few men who refused to fight for Nazi Germany.
The Nonviolent Jesus di Fr. John Dear
Note sull'episodio
On this week's episode of The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast, I reflect on Franz Jagerstatter, one of the most important saints in history.
In the late 1970s, while a student at Duke University, wondering what to do with my life, my grandmother gave me a pamphlet about Franz. I was amazed by the story of a young Austrian farmer, born on May 20, 1907, who in 1936 married Franziska, the local sacristan at their church in St. Radegund.
HIs wife, Franziska, was a saint, so he tried to become a saint too.
When the Nazis invaded Austria in 1938, nearly everyone in Austria supported the Nazis. In February 1943, Franz received a letter ordering him to turn himself in and join the Nazi military, where he would be sent off to the Russian front. He went and spoke with several priests and even the bishop. Each one of them said ...