BlessedMartyr
Blessed Giuseppe Beotti
Diocesan priest, archpriest of Sidolo, shot by German troops, 1912-1944
Early life
Giuseppe Beotti was born at Campremoldo Sotto, a hamlet of Gragnano Trebbiense (Piacenza), on 26 August 1912, to a farming family.[1] In 1925 he entered the seminary at Piacenza, and he was ordained a priest on 2 April 1938.[1] Sent to Borgonovo as assistant priest, he was noted for his charitable work for the needy and for the care he gave to the formation of the faithful, especially the young.[1]
Ministry
In 1940 he was transferred as archpriest to the parish of Sidolo, a small mountain village, a hamlet of Bardi.[1] There he attended to the needs of all without distinction: partisans, Jews, soldiers, the wounded.[1] In 1943, when the Fascist regime ordered the requisition of church bells for the war and violent disturbances broke out at Sidolo, he urged his parishioners to obey the civil authorities while seeking to defend their rights, and was subjected to criminal proceedings that came to nothing.[1] After the armistice of 8 September he gave shelter and help to fleeing soldiers, escaped prisoners and persecuted people, among them about a hundred Jews.[1]
Death and recognition
In 1944, after 70 German soldiers died in clashes at Pelosa di Bedonia, the soldiers destroyed nearby villages in reprisal and carried out round-ups across the area, reaching Sidolo between 19 and 20 July.[1] He decided to stay in the village and spent the night in the church in prayer.[1] He was arrested and shot on 20 July 1944 at Sidolo, together with don Francesco Delnevo and the seminarian Italo Subacchi, who had taken refuge with him in the church.[1] Though he had the possibility of fleeing, he chose to remain with his parishioners.[1] He was beatified on 30 September 2023 by Pope Francis.[1]
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Sources and notes
- Giuseppe Beotti
Dicastery for the Causes of Saints · Italian
Accessed 2026-09-05
Editorial notes
Translated and condensed from the Dicastery's official Italian profile by an automated pass on 2026-09-09; identity matched on the death date and name; editorial review pending.
This is an AI-assisted draft prepared from the sources above. Its citations identify its evidence; they do not replace a historical review.
The inherited biography
The earlier biography for this record, kept unchanged while the sourced draft is reviewed.
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Giuseppe Beotti was born to a farming family at Campremoldo Sotto near Piacenza in 1912. He entered the seminary of Piacenza in 1925 and was ordained on 2 April 1938. Sent as curate to Borgonovo, he was noted for constant charitable work among the needy and for the care he took over the formation of the faithful, especially the young. In 1940 he was transferred as archpriest to Sidolo, a small mountain village in the commune of Bardi, where he served the needs of everyone without distinction. When the Fascist regime requisitioned the church bells for the war in 1943 and violent unrest broke out in Sidolo, he urged his parishioners to obey the civil authorities while trying to defend their rights, and was prosecuted for it without result.
After the armistice of 8 September he sheltered fleeing soldiers, escaped prisoners and the persecuted, among them about a hundred Jews. In 1944, in reprisal for seventy German soldiers killed at Pelosa di Bedonia, troops swept the area and reached Sidolo on 19 and 20 July. He chose to stay, spending the night in prayer in his church, and was arrested and shot on 20 July together with Don Francesco Delnevo and the seminarian Italo Subacchi.
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