Max Josef Metzger was a German Catholic priest and prominent pacifist who lived from 1887 to 1944. After serving as a military chaplain during the First World War, his experiences on the front lines led him to advocate strongly for international peace and disarmament. He was deeply involved in the Esperanto movement and worked toward the ecumenical reunification of churches. Because of his resistance against the National Socialist regime, he was arrested by the Gestapo and eventually executed in a show trial at Brandenburg-Görden Prison.