Jean Bernard

Jean Bernard (13 August 1907 – 1 September 1994) was a Catholic priest from Luxembourg who was imprisoned from May 1941 to August 1942 in the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau. He was released for nine days in February 1942 and allowed to return to Luxembourg, an episode which he later wrote about in his memoirs of the camp and which was turned into a film.

Life Born in 1907, the sixth of ten children, and later in the book Pfarrerblock 25487. The book was the basis for Volker Schlöndorff's film The Ninth Day (Der neunte Tag), released in November 2004, about his nine-day release from Dachau.

From 1947 to 1970, Bernard was president of the International Catholic Organization for Cinema and Audiovisual (OCIC, which later became SIGNIS). He had been its general secretary from 1933 to 1947. In 1955 he was appointed honorary canon of the cathedral in Luxembourg. In 1958 he retired as editor for health reasons, but continued to work at the newspaper. In 1970, Bernard was appointed an honorary prelate by Pope Paul VI. He was a member of the papal commission for film, radio and television; for the Second Vatican Council, he was a member of the working group on the press, film, radio and television, and was president of the Commission for the persecuted church, within the International Catholic Organisations Conference.

He died on 1 September 1994.

Honours Officer of the Order of the Oak Crown Knight of the Order of Merit Knight of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) Stella della Solidarietà

Works

Publications Pfarrerblock 25487. (Reprint) Luxembourg 2004. Schneider, Deborah Lucas (English translation). Priestblock 25487: A Memoir of Dachau. 2007.

Filmography Mat Läif a Séil am Seminaire. (With Heart and Soul in the Seminary) 1932, 23 minutes.