Michael Lerpscher

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Michael Lerpscher (born November 5, 1905 in Wilhams (Allgäu), † September 5, 1940 in Brandenburg prison ) was a religiously motivated conscientious objector . He was executed in 1940 . Michael Lerpscher was a lay brother of the Christ the King Society , which was founded by Max Josef Metzger .

Life

Michael Lerpscher's parents ran a large and flourishing farm in Wilhams (Sonthofen district). Her son Michael was interested in religious issues as a child and young man and grew up in the life and under the influence of the Catholic Church. In the early 1930s, the young man made the decision to take the Bible really seriously, to commit himself to love his enemies and to refuse military service. He was well aware of the scope of the decision in the circumstances of the National Socialist era. He did not comply with his draft for military service in the spring of 1940. His offer to serve as a medic was turned down. Lerpscher was arrested and transferred to Vienna. Under the file number 179/40 Lerpscher was sentenced to death on August 2, 1940 for " decomposing military strength " . On September 2, 1940, the convicted person was transferred to the Brandenburg-Görden prison, where the guilty ax was used on the morning of September 5 .

Appreciation

Stumbling block for Michael Lerpscher in Meitingen

In August 1987, a memorial plaque for the "martyr of conscience and non-violence" was unveiled in his home town of Missen-Wilhams . This quotes a verse from the Revelation of John : “If someone should go to prison - let him go to prison. If someone is to be killed with the sword - he will be killed with the sword. Here it is: the perseverance and faith of the saints. "( Rev 13:10  EU )

On the 50th anniversary of the execution, a memorial plaque for Michael Lerpscher and his brother Joseph Ruf (Brother Maurus) was unveiled in Graz-Andritz : “Lay Brothers of the Christ the King Society - Martyrs for the Peace of Christ”. This saying from the Gospel according to Matthew is quoted on the memorial plaque in Graz: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill life. Rather be afraid of him who can destroy life and body in hell. "( Mt 10.28  EU )

In 1999, the Catholic Church accepted Michael Lerpscher as a martyr in the German martyrology of the 20th century .

By decision of the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office on October 22, 2010, the wrongful National Socialist judgment of the Second Senate of the Reich Court Martial in Vienna of August 2, 1940 - file number 179/40 - against Michael Lerpscher because of the decomposition of the military force by §§ 1, 2 No. 3 NS-AufhG repealed.

See also → Conscientious objection in Germany # Time of National Socialism .

literature

  • Ernst T. Mader, Jakob Knab : The donkey's smile. The life and execution of the Allgäu farmer's son Michael Lerpscher (1905–1940) . Verlag an der Säge, Blöcktach 1987, ISBN 3-923710-10-0 .
  • Helmut Moll (Ed. On behalf of the German Bishops' Conference): Witnesses for Christ. The German martyrology of the 20th century . Paderborn u. a. 1999. 7th revised and updated edition 2019. ISBN 978-3-506-78012-6 , Vol. I, pp. 83-86.
  • Günther Peternek: The resistance of individuals: Michael Lerpscher . In: Paths of Freedom. Teaching work for Catholic religious studies at grammar schools in Baden-Württemberg - grade 10 . Verlag Katholisches Bibelwerk, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-460-32703-0 , pp. 75-76.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Lerpscher, Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German religiously motivated conscientious objector
DATE OF BIRTH 5th November 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Wilhams (Allgäu)
DATE OF DEATH September 5, 1940
Place of death Brandenburg prison