Joël Anglès d’Auriac
French scout executed by the Nazi in 1944 (1922–1944)
Who they were
Joël Anglès d'Auriac was born in Toulon on 25 February 1922 and was baptised at the church of Saint-Louis. An active member of the scout movement, he was training for an officer's career at Saint-Cyr when, in July 1943, he was sent to Germany for forced labour and assigned to the Wilhelm Schmidding arms factory at Teschen an der Elbe. There, in November 1943, he founded a scout group called "la patrouille Notre-Dame de l'Espérance" to serve deported Frenchmen, visiting the sick and organising activities for their free time, even after such Christian movements were banned by the Nazis.
He was arrested by the Gestapo on 10 March 1944 and imprisoned; though tortured, he confessed nothing and was condemned to death. Before his execution he told the chaplain he was at peace and glad to go to Jesus Christ, and in a last message forgave those responsible for his death. He was beheaded in the prison at Dresden on 6 December 1944. On 20 June 2025 Pope Leo XIV recognised his martyrdom in hatred of the faith together with a group of fifty martyrs, and he was solemnly beatified at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on 13 December of that year.
The miracles
As a martyr he was raised to the altars without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
French scout leader deported for forced labour who founded a scout group to serve fellow deportees; beheaded by the Nazis in 1944 and beatified as a martyr in 2025.
The cause
The cause continues. No postulation address is published here yet. Favours received through this person’s intercession, and offers of help, are best sent to the religious order or congregation they belonged to, or to the diocese where the cause was opened; either will pass them to the postulation.
- Santi, beati e testimoni (santiebeati.it) - Beato Gioele Anglès D'Auriac
- Wikidata Q111209599 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.