Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Polish Catholic priest, chemist, and publisher who was deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp for sheltering Jews during World War II. He died there after volunteering to take the place of another inmate who was sentenced to death.
He had been beatified on October 17, 1971 by Pope Paul VI. His canonization, the final step in the Catholic sainthood process, was performed by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982 in St. Peter's Square in Rome.
On that day in front of an immense crowd estimated at 150,000 people, the Polish Pope officially declared Maximilian Kolbe a "saint" in the name of the Catholic Church. In his homily, he presented the saint as a model of Christian charity: "He is always current, because his life and death show that love is stronger than death."
Pope John Paul II also emphasized the message of peace and brotherhood conveyed by Kolbe's ultimate act of sacrificing his life to save another man. This testimony takes on full meaning as humanity continues to be marked by tensions and conflicts.
The canonization of St. Maximilian Kolbe thus became a major moment in Pope John Paul II's pontificate. It perfectly illustrated his desire to promote figures of saints who defended human dignity in extreme situations, such as Nazi deportation. The Polish clergyman is now venerated as the saint of charity, ultimate sacrifice, and universal brotherhood.
Fczarnowski, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilien_Kolbe#/media/Fichier:Maxymil_muzeum_fc27.jpg
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