Johanna Westphalen

Countess Johanna von Westphalen zu Fuerstenberg (; Johanna Paula Alphonsa Josepha Antonia Huberta Maria de Mercede Cosmas und Damian; née von Galen, 24 September 1936 – 21 January 2016) was a German conservative politician and Catholic activist. A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, she was active in the anti-abortion movement and a patron of Catholic institutions. She was knighted by Pope John Paul II in 2002 as a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. Early life and family Von Westphalen was born Countess Johanna von Galen on 24 September 1936 at Haus Assen, her family's castle in Westphalia. She was a member of the Galen family, an ancient German noble family that was elevated to the rank of Imperial Count during the Holy Roman Empire. Von Westphalen's father, Christoph Bernhard, Count of Galen, was the head of the House of Galen and served in the Papal household. Her mother, Countess Marie-Sophie Kinsky von Wchinitz und Tettau, was a member of the Czech noble family Kinsky. Von Westphalen was the grandniece of Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, who had been beatified by Pope John Paul II. Politics and activism Von Westphalen was a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany and, from 1978 to 1992, served on the regional board of the party in North Rhine-Westphalia. She was an honorary member of the Christian Democratic Union's Christian Friendship Association, a Christian mission and aid organization based in Berlin. She also served on several federal committees for the party. In 1985, she founded the Christian Democrats for Life, an anti-abortion initiative of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union in Bavaria and a member of the Federal Association for the Law of Life. She served as the initiative's chairwoman until 2002, afterwards serving as honorary chairwoman.