Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Bishop Wilhelm Egger passes of heart attack

Bishop Wilhelm Emil Egger, O.F.M. Cap, died suddenly of a heart attack, far too young, on Saturday, August 16. (Ironically the same day that the priest was tortured and murdered in India).

Bishop Egger had just recently hosted Pope Benedict XVI during his summer vacation holiday.

http://www.zenit.org/article-23395?l=english

snip

[He continued in German and Italian:]

I received with profound sorrow the news of the unexpected death of Bishop Wilhelm Emil Egger of Bolzano-Bressanone. A few days ago I bade him farewell and I thought he was enjoying good health. Nothing led one to think of such a quick demise. I add my sympathy to that of his relatives and of the whole diocese, in which he was greatly appreciated and loved for his commitment and dedication. I raise a fervent prayer to the Lord for the eternal rest of this good and faithful servant, I send a special apostolic blessing of consolation to his brother -- a Capuchin religious -- to his other relatives, and to all the priests, men and women religious and faithful of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone.

***
I have a special reason to be particularly sad at the sudden and untimely passing of Bishop Egger, and to praise his service to God and the Church. I have great gratitude to him and commend his spirit to God's almighty hands.

He had done everything he could to make serene the hospitality and restfulness of the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, Pope Benedict, including trying to get the local museum to stop displaying a provacative and profane "work of art" of a crucified frog (that has tits, holds a beer mug, and an egg, has a protrouding tongue, etc.). Gosh, I hope the "artistes" are happy now. I hope those running the museum enjoy the smell of their own foul stench. By the way, crucified animal images, especially of frogs, is an old witchcraft ritual.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4436051.ece

snip

Under pressure from Bishop Egger the museum curators have moved the frog from the museum entrance to the third floor, but have so far refused to remove it altogether. They said the work was not an attack on Christianity but rather a reflection of the artist's “state of profound crisis” at the time.