Thursday, August 21, 2008

Funeral of Bishop Wilhelm Egger [Update]

Perhaps you have read that H.E. Msgr. Wilhelm Emil Egger OFMCap, the Bishop of Bozen and Brixen in South Tyrol, who just recently hosted the Holy Father's summer holidays, has died unexpectedly. Today, his funeral Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral of Brixen; main celebrant was the Pope's representative, Card. Angelo Scola, the Patriarch of Venice. Msgr. Egger was a noted biblical scholar, head of the Bishops' committee for the new translation of the Bible into German according to the norms of liturgiam authenticam, and Special Secretary of the upcoming Bishops' Synod on the Word of God.

While not everything in this footage might be as we could wish for liturgically, not only is this an interesting event because of the person of the deceased; it also permits us a view at the Cathedral which inspired the Holy Father's recent words on the revelatory power of beauty in art and music. And lastly, it is perhaps not in every part of the world that you see cardinals, bishops and priests in black Roman chasubles in droves, peacefully mixed with violet and Gothic ones (presumably because they didn't have enough of the same).



(In case you should wonder, the Capuchin walking directly behind the hearse is Msgr. Egger's twin brother.)

UPDATE

The diocese of Bozen-Brixen has now released some images of the requiem (follow the link to see larger versions):

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