In a first statement on the death of Austrian President Thomas Klestil, released on 7 July, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, president of the Austrian Episcopal Conference, said he was “profoundly moved”. Cardinal Schönborn “espressly” thanked President Klestil “for his tireless service to our country”, and recalled his efforts to “maintain good relations with the Churches and religious communities”, his “inter-religious gestures” and particularly his dedication to the “pilgrimage of peoples to Mariazell”, the Marian sanctuary with which he had a special relationship.
