Bengsch, Alfred b. September 10, 1921 d. December 13, 1979 Religious Figure. Roman Catholic Bishop of Berlin-both East and West-and leader of East Germany's 1.2 million Roman Catholics. The son of a Berlin postal official, He was named bishop of the divided city and its environs in August 1961, three days after the erection of the Berlin Wall. A conservative theologian who steered clear of politics, he was given special permission by East German authorities to cross the Wall three days a month to minister to his West Berlin flock, later he was allowed...[Read More] Sankt-Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Sterzinsky, Cardinal Georg Maximilian b. February 9, 1936 d. June 30, 2011 Roman Catholic Cardinal. The longtime Archbishop of Berlin, he was a major force in uniting the German Church after the fall of Communism. Born and initially raised in what was then East Prussia, he was orphaned at a young age and forced to take refuge in Thuringen in 1946. Sterzinsky was educated in Erfurt from 1948 on, entered that city's seminary in 1954, and was ordained a Priest in 1960. After serving a parish in Eisenach he taught at Erfurt for two years then was a pastor in Jena from...[Read More] (Bio by: Bob Hufford) Sankt-Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Berlin, Berlin, Germany
b. September 10, 1921 d. December 13, 1979