Patrick Desbois

Patrick Desbois, born on June 26th, 1955 with Châlon-sur-saône is a priest of the Roman Catholic church. Director of the National service of the Bishops of France for the Relationships to the Judaism and Consulting near the the Vatican, he is also president of Yahad association - In Unum, which undertakes research in Ukraine on the Jewish victims of Einsatzgruppen during the second world war.

Biography

Youth

Patrick Desbois lives with Châlon-sur-saône with his family, and in particular his grandfather, who was off-set in Rawa-Ruska in Ukraine, in the zone of the Rheinardt operation. In 1977, Patrick Desbois obtains at the university of Dijon a control of mathematics and ensign to the college of Dedougou to Burkina Faso.

Ecclesiastical career

Patrick Desbois enters to the Great Seminar of Prado to Lyon in 1981, at the 26 years age. It is ordered priest into 1986 before being named cleaned in Creusot (Saône-et-Loire). In 1992, he becomes secretary of the cardinal Albert Decourtray for the relationships to the Jewish communities, and in 1999 he is named secretary of the Episcopal Committee of the Bishops of France for the Relationships to the Judaism.

Shoah by balls

In 2004, it created Yahad association - In Unum. The task of Yahad - In Unum is to gather more information on the assassination of mass of the Jews in Ukraine between 1941 and 1945. Ukrainian contemporary witnesses are questioned on the massive shootings which proceeded beside on their premises and the common graves are localized. Desbois itself estimates that there is not less than one million victims buried in 1200 pits in Ukraine. The exact localization of almost all the pits is unknown researchers specialized in Shoah.

Patrick Desbois is president de Yahad - In Unum and carries out the interviews itself with the witnesses. The other founders of association are the cardinals Jean-Marie Lustiger, Philippe Barbarin and Jean-Pierre Ricard and the rabbi Israel Singer and Serge Cwajgenbaum, of the World Jewish Congress.

Distinctions

May 1st, 2007, American Jewish Committee gave to him its “Price Jan Karski” for its “efforts to identify the common graves of the Jewish victims of Shoah” and “its engagement to look further into comprehension between Chrétiens and Jews”.

External bonds

Site of Yahad - In Unum

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