Pope Mourns Austrian-Born Bishop
(August 18, 2008) Pope Benedict XVI is mourning the death of a bishop who was his host during an Alpine vacation this month. The Holy Father told pilgrims at his summer palace in Castel Gandolfo near Rome that he felt «profound emotion» when he learned of the death Saturday night of 68-year-old Bressanone Bishop Wilhelm Egger. Pope Benedict said on Sunday that when he bid goodbye to the bishop on Aug. 11 in the mountain town that Egger seemed to be in good health. Italian news reports said Egger died of a heart attack. Egger, a native of Innsbruck, Austria, was bishop of the German-speaking town in Italy's South Tyrol region. Pope Benedict's maternal grandmother was born near Bressanone, and the pope vacationed in the area many times when he was a German cardinal. He was born on 14th of May 1940, was ordained priest in 1965 and was consecrated Bishop in 1986. He belonged to the Religious order of Franciscans OFM Cap.
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