Last Catholic priest to survive Dachau camp dies

Michael — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 17:07:36 +0000

The last surviving Catholic priest imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp has died at the age of 102.

Fr Hermann Scheipers, who died on June 2 in Ochtrup, Germany, lived for more than 70 years after surviving a Nazi death march.

He spent more than four years at Dachau after being arrested in 1940, reportedly for supporting Polish forced labourers.

"Here, you are defenceless, without dignity or rights," Fr Scheipers recalled being told on arriving at the Nazi camp.

The priest was one of around 2800 clergy sent to Dachau during World War II.

More than 1000 priests died at Dachau.

Of 200,000 prisoners at the camp, more than 41,500 were killed.

Death march - CathNews New Zealand