Priest Who Risked His Life to Help Prisoners in Nazi Camps: Otto Neururer
Faith Under Fire: Clergy in WWII
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12m
After Nazi Germany annexed Austria in March 1938, repression spread rapidly—and those who spoke out risked everything.
Otto Neururer, an Austrian Catholic priest, was among the few who openly rejected Nazi racial ideology and defended the dignity of all people. His stance led to his arrest and deportation to Dachau, and later to Buchenwald concentration camp.
Inside the camps, where faith and compassion were forbidden, Neururer continued to help fellow prisoners in secret. He comforted the suffering, heard confessions, and gave spiritual strength to those on the brink of despair—despite constant surveillance, violence, and the threat of severe punishment.
Even as conditions worsened, he refused to abandon those who needed him most.
This is the story of a priest who risked his life to help others in one of the darkest places of Nazi terror.
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