Who is Don Osvaldo Tomitz from A Thread of Grace and what is their importance?

Osvaldo is a kind Catholic priest in Sant'Andrea whose affection and caring for the Jewish refugees consumes his life during the war. His major personal conflict is his inability to give absolution to Werner Schramm, who confesses that he has murdered 91,867 people. Tomitz struggles throughout the story with his inability to forgive Schramm. Eventually imprisoned and tortured by the Nazis for helping the Jews, Tomitz dies in jail with Werner Schramm by his side, administering last rites and communion, and finally ending Tomitz's suffering.