Giuseppe Beotti was an Italian Catholic priest born in 1912 who was killed by Nazi soldiers in 1944. Growing up in a farming family in Campremoldo Sotto, he eventually entered the seminary of Piacenza and was ordained in 1938. Serving as a parish priest in Sidolo, he became known for his devotion to the poor and his support for youth education. During the Second World War, he provided refuge to various persecuted groups, including Jewish people and resistance fighters, which ultimately led to his death.
Life and service
After his ordination, Beotti served in Borgonovo Val Tidone before being assigned to the parish in Sidolo in 1940. During the German occupation, he actively assisted those fleeing the war, such as wounded soldiers and those evading persecution. His refusal to abandon his parishioners or his commitment to helping the persecuted, including approximately one hundred Jewish individuals, drew the hostility of the occupying forces.
Death and veneration
Beotti was arrested and executed on July 20, 1944, alongside two companions, because of his opposition to Nazi policies. Following his death, his cause for recognition was opened in 2010. He was officially recognized as a martyr by the Catholic Church in May 2023, and his beatification ceremony took place later that year at the Piacenza Cathedral.