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From the outset of Nazi rule, religious orders faced severe difficulties. This persecution began immediately, with events such as the unannounced search of the monastery by 30 SA men on March 12, 1938, under the false pretext of looking for hidden weapons. For the Franciscans, this oppression manifested in countless ways, from daily harassment and imprisonment to the ultimate horror of deportation to the Hartheim extermination camp near Linz.  Photograph The Franciscan Monastery in Hall in Tyrol. Held in: private collections K. Walder. The Case of Father Eligius (August) Dastl (1899 –1970) On September 9, 1939, Franciscan friar August (Eligius) Dastl was convicted by the Nazi regime for a sermon he delivered. The Incident: During a sermon on May 18, 1939, in the church of Gnadenwald, Father Dastl criticized the persecution of priests, stating the Nazis were coming after them "like bloodhounds." He explained that his remarks were prompted by the personal harassment he endured, including being called names and even having a dog set on him.  Photograph Fr Eligius Dastl. Held in: Archive of the Franciscan Province of Tyrol in Hall in Tyrol. The Charges: The court found him guilty of "undermining public confidence in the political leadership." His words, spoken to a small congregation in church, were deemed a public attack on the state. The verdict highlighted the regime's fear of the clergy's influence and its determination to silence any criticism. The Sentence: For this "crime," Father Dastl was sentenced to five months in prison. He had already been imprisoned for a week in Innsbruck prior to his trial. His case is a stark example of how the Nazi state criminalized speech and targeted religious figures for their dissent. Source: Court documents (Dok. 500/LG 733/39), DÖW. Father Honorius (Heinrich) Hohlbrugger (1904 - 1993): Punished for Defending His Faith Franciscan Father Honorius Hohlbrugger (1904-1993) was a member of the monastery in Solbad Hall and became a target of Nazi persecution for speaking out from the pulpit. Arrest and Accusation: Father Hohlbrugger was arrested on December 10, 1939, following a sermon he gave in the parish church of Hippach. During his homily, he criticized the state's influence on youth, stating, "Today's youth is being raised like children of Satan." He warned that the removal of religion from public life could lead to churches being closed, crosses taken down, and replaced with "signs of Satan." The Nazi authorities deemed this a direct attack. He was charged under the severe §130a of the Reich Penal Code (abuse of the pulpit) and the "Heimtücke-Gesetz" (Law Against Malicious Attacks), which criminalized any criticism of the regime or its policies.  Photograph Fr Honorius (Heinrich) Hohlbrugger. Held in: Archive of the Franciscan Province of Tyrol in Hall in Tyrol. Imprisonment and Expulsion:
Father Hohlbrugger's case is a stark example of the regime's ruthless efforts to silence religious dissent and eliminate any influence competing with its ideology. Father Gaudentius Conzi Vigil (1883 – 1973): Targeted for an Act of Charity Franciscan Father Gaudentius (Gaudenz) Conzi Vigil (1883–1973), who served as the Guardian (Superior) of the Franciscan monastery in Hall, faced severe reprisal from the Nazi regime for a simple act of human kindness. The "Crime": The accusation against Father Gaudentius was shockingly minor. He provided humanitarian aid to a man in need—a former prisoner named Ennemoser. His "criminal" act consisted of giving the man a shirt and a small donation of three Reichsmarks to help him survive. Yet, in the eyes of the Nazi state, this charity was twisted into a serious political offense. He was arrested and charged with "abetting high treason" (Vorschubleistung zum Hochverrat), demonstrating the regime's paranoia and its determination to criminalize any assistance, no matter how small, given to those it persecuted.  Photograph Fr Gaudentius Conzi Vigil. Held in: Archive of the Franciscan Province of Tyrol in Hall in Tyrol. Imprisonment and Forced Exile: Without a trial or conviction, Father Gaudentius endured a lengthy and stressful imprisonment:
His case is a powerful example of how the Nazi regime used intimidation, arbitrary imprisonment, and the grotesque exaggeration of charges to break apart religious communities and silence compassion. Franciscan Brother Konrad (Peter Paul) Walcher (1903-1963): Punished for CompassionFranciscan Frater Konrad (Peter Paul) Walcher (1903–1963) served as the porter at the Franciscan monastery in Hall in Tirol. His role, which involved greeting visitors and offering charity, led to his severe punishment by the Nazi regime. The Accusation: Frater Walcher, along with others including Capuchin Father Franz Josef Kramer from Kitzbühel, was accused of providing aid to a man named Ennemoser, who claimed to be a politically persecuted former prisoner. The assistance given—a shirt and what the court deemed an "excessive alms" of five or ten Reichsmarks—was treated not as charity, but as a serious political crime.  Photograph Brother Konrad (Peter Paul) Walcher. Held in: Archive of the Franciscan Province of Tyrol in Hall in Tyrol. The Verdict and the Court's Reasoning: On February 24, 1941, the Special Court (Sondergericht) in Innsbruck convicted Walcher and Kramer of "abetting high treason" (Vorschubleistung für Hochverrat). The court's verdict reveals the twisted logic of the Nazi justice system. It dismissed the defendants' claim that they were simply helping a man in need, arguing instead:
For this act of humanitarian aid, Frater Peter Paul Walcher was sentenced to two months of strict imprisonment. This case starkly illustrates how the Nazi regime criminalized basic Christian compassion, interpreting any help given to a fugitive as a direct political act against the state. Frater Massäus Stemeseder (1891 – 1940): A Victim of Nazi Euthanasia Franciscan Frater Massäus Stemeseder (1891–1940) served his community faithfully as a cook and gardener at the Franciscan monastery in Solbad Hall. Tragically, he became a victim of the Nazi regime's brutal "T4" Euthanasia Program. Since 1931, Frater Massäus had been receiving care for a mental illness at the State Sanatorium and Nursing Home (Landes-Heil- und Pflegeanstalt) in Solbad Hall.  Photograph Fr Massäus Stemeseder. Held in: Archive of the Franciscan Province of Tyrol in Hall in Tyrol. On December 10, 1940, he was forcibly taken from the institution in a group transport to the Hartheim Castle extermination centre near Linz, Austria. There, he was murdered in a gas chamber. The Franciscan order later received the devastating news of his death. His life was cruelly taken simply because he was deemed "unworthy of life" by the Nazi ideology. Frater Massäus Stemeseder is remembered as a martyr of this dark chapter, one of the countless victims of state-sanctioned murder disguised as medicine. Dr. rer. pol. Dr. iur. et Dr. theol. Johannes Kapistran Pieller OFM |
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