A podcast has been published on the Spreaker channel of the Press Office of the Royal Commission for Italy of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. The podcast, prepared by the Formation Coordinator of the Delegation of Rome and Vatican City, Prof. Enzo Cantarano, Knight of Merit with Silver Star, addresses the theme The Responsibility of the Christian in History on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the martyrdom of the Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the most significant Christian thinkers of the twentieth century and a protagonist of the resistance against Nazism.

A man of extraordinary intelligence, deep faith, and concrete charity, Dietrich Bonhoeffer offered an exemplary witness of evangelical coherence up to the ultimate sacrifice. Born in 1906 into a bourgeois family, he personally experienced the tension between radical Christianity and the social dynamics of his time, developing the conviction that the Church must intervene against every violation of human dignity.

He openly criticized the anti-Jewish policies of the National Socialist regime as early as 1933 and participated in founding the Confessing Church, which opposed the alignment of the German Protestant Church with National Socialism. After a period abroad, he returned to Germany at the outbreak of war, joining the internal resistance. Arrested in 1943, he was implicated in movements against Hitler and transferred to the Flossenbürg camp, where he was hanged.

His spiritual and theological legacy continues to challenge the Christian world regarding the relationship between faith, responsibility, and engagement in history.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

On the 81st anniversary of his martyrdom
The Responsibility of the Christian in History

We are living through a historical period that no analyst would have imagined until relatively few years ago. The war between Russia and Ukraine, tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, the deplorable genocide of the Palestinian population, the massacres of Christians in many parts of the world, the reappearance of totalitarianisms, and the spread of a reckless and devastating economy are events before our eyes. Even if we are not directly involved, we are nevertheless called to take a responsible position both in the “internal forum” and in the “external” one, assuming our responsibility at least before God.

An ethic of responsibility characterizes the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer who, together with Karl Barth, Henri de Lubac, and Joseph Ratzinger, must be counted among the most influential theologians of the twentieth century. The theological vision of this multifaceted thinker is open, stimulating, and dynamic—a “biographical theology,” since he fused his life and works, deeply rooted in the historical context in which he lived. He does not offer solutions, but rather imposes on us the responsibility to continue searching.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a “complete man” because he harmonized theological reflection with his existence, offering a testimony of resilience and faith of perennial value. The central question of his life and thought is: “Who is Christ for me, for us, today?” From this question Bonhoeffer integrated theology, ecclesiology, and anthropology, giving them an existential and civil dimension. In his fundamental work Resistance and Surrender, he writes:

“We all know that Christ has in fact been eliminated from our life: a temple is built for him, but then everyone remains living in his own house; Christ has become the affair of the church or of a restricted group of people who attend church, not of life […]. The religion of Christ is not a delicacy after a rich meal; it is daily bread—or nothing, or hunger. This is the minimum that should be understood and admitted if one calls oneself Christian. […] Jesus urges a decision without compromise.”

These reflections highlight the radicalism and centrality of Christ in Bonhoeffer’s thought, criticizing a distorted idea of God still widespread today—God reduced to a mere “instrument,” a “gap-filler” used at convenience, especially in times of difficulty. Bonhoeffer insists that God is present and active in history, proposing His Kingdom of love, justice, and freedom so that each person may choose faith and experience salvation.

A central thesis in Bonhoeffer’s thought is that humanity, having reached maturity through secularization and technological progress, seems able to live as if God did not exist. This “progress,” however, is not an obstacle but an opportunity to rediscover the salvific value of faith, separated from empty formal religiosity. For Bonhoeffer, love is the core of faith: loving God means loving one’s neighbour, practicing justice and opposing oppression. His struggle against Nazism exemplifies this.

The Christian, for Bonhoeffer, must rediscover fidelity to the earth to find the true homeland of heaven, through social commitment and a faith “in action,” building the civilization of love here and now.

Christians should not be scandalized by God’s invisibility, but must make Him visible through their actions. For Bonhoeffer, Christ is present as community. The Church, composed of saints and sinners, is animated by Christ’s presence and exists to serve humanity.

Faith must be incarnated in the world. Christian fraternity implies sharing life’s joys and struggles. Bonhoeffer embodies “resistance,” showing that faith can remain alive even in extreme adversity. Executed by the Nazis at Flossenbürg on April 9, 1945, his life demonstrates the necessity of responsibility in one’s historical moment.

Responsibility is the center of his reflection. The essential beginning of Christian ethics, Bonhoeffer explains, “is not the reality of one’s own self, nor the reality of the world, nor norms and values, but the reality of God in His revelation in Jesus Christ.”

Since God became incarnate, the world is not opposed to God. Reality and good are united. Bonhoeffer rejects both reductionist pragmatism and abstract idealism. Ethical reflection must inhabit the tension between intention and consequences, freedom and obligation, obedience and autonomy.

To live responsibly, the ultimate question is not heroic self-preservation but: what will life be like for others after my action? Bonhoeffer’s reflection attempts to unite fidelity to the earth with obedience to the call of the good. His experience during World War II led him to conclude: “We learned too late that the origin of action is not thought, but readiness for responsibility.”

Responsibility requires confronting history, avoiding both abstract moralism and cynical realism. Neutrality is sometimes impossible.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer — “The Evangelical Saint”

Eighty-one years ago, on April 9, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Lutheran theologian and member of the German resistance against the Third Reich, was executed. He united extraordinary intelligence, heroic charity, and clear faith. Born in 1906, he believed the Church must intervene when the state violates human rights.

He criticized Nazi anti-Jewish measures from the beginning and co-founded the Confessing Church. After time in London and the United States, he returned to Germany at the outbreak of World War II and collaborated with military resistance groups. Arrested in April 1943, he was implicated after the failed July 20, 1944 plot. Transferred to Flossenbürg, he was hanged on April 9, 1945.

His body was burned, and no grave exists. Yet his witness remains. The challenges Christians faced then resemble those faced today: a faith shaped by a culture detached from the Gospel. Bonhoeffer’s spirituality is deeply Christological—contemplation, intelligent analysis, compassion, and action.

Difficult times call for hope that leads to action—an invitation to live the Gospel in the world with courage and faith.