Lights of Hope: Memorial service after Graz-AmoFlauf in St. Stephen's Cathedral

Lights of Hope: Memorial service after Graz-AmoFlauf in St. Stephen's Cathedral

Stephansplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Österreich - On June 12, 2025, a memorial service took place in the St. St. Stephan's Cathedral at the end of the three -day state mourning for the victims of the killing spree in Graz. This tragic incident, which had occurred on Tuesday before, demanded a total of eleven lives, including nine students and a teacher, and injured at least 12 more. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and the entire federal government were present and paid tribute to the victims.

The service, which took place under the Christian hostship of the Austrian Bishops' Conference, was led by Archbishop Franz Lackner. At his side, other bishops and the president of the Islamic faith community spoke. The Viennese Apostolic Administrator Josef Grünwidl opened the service with welcome words and emphasized that the wounds of the killing spree remain beyond the end of the state mourning.

sign of grief and hope

Federal President van der Bellen inflamed the first of a total of ten white candles that were set up for the victims. A candle was also lit for the perpetrator. Bishop Michael Chalupka from the Evangelical Church in Austria spoke a prayer, while Imam Ermin Sehic presented Koran verses that act from the hope of eternal life.

Archbishop Lackner warned in his speech on solidarity and emphasized the common responsibility during this mourning. "Let's see the other as a brother or sister," he said, called on to live with mindfulness and in conversation. These words were particularly well received in a situation that the country shaked deeply. The emptiness of the armchairs reserved for the victims was also discussed by Bishop Chalupka to illustrate the pain of the bereaved.

a never forgotten pain

The grief for the victims was also symbolized by the presence of high -ranking political representatives and religious communities. In addition to the federal government, Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler and Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger were present. The Austrian flag was set to half -mast until the end of the state mourning. This was buried on Thursday evening with the ringing of the Pummerin, right after the end of the service.

The killing spree in Graz and the subsequent state mourning were classified by the Austrian government as a "national catastrophe", which underlined the need for this service service. Several hundred people followed the call for grief and memory and thus showed the cohesion in this difficult time, as the Caritas-Vienna boss Klaus Schwertner emphasized.

In this huge grief for the lost life, the hope of light in the dark remains, which was repeatedly discussed during the service. The memorial service was an urgent sign of the strength and cohesion of the community in times of deepest grief.