Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (born February 4, 1906, Breslau, Germany [now Wrocław, Poland]—died April 9, 1945, Flossenbürg, Germany), German Protestant theologian important for his support of ecumenism and his view of Christianity’s role in a secular world. His involvement in a plot to overthrow Adolf Hitler led to his imprisonment and execution. His Letters and Papers from Prison, published posthumously in 1951, is perhaps the most profound document of his convictions.