Dignitaries mourn Helmut Kohl in Germany. SPEYER,
GERMANY» Germany bid farewell Saturday to Helmut Kohl, the former chancellor who steered his country toward reunification in 1990 and whose tireless efforts to ensure peace and stability in Europe shape the continent to this day.
Hundreds of dignitaries attended a requiem Mass at Speyer Cathedral in Kohl’s home region of RhinelandPalatinate in southwest Germany.
Earlier in the day, past and present leaders from around the world paid tribute to Kohl at the European Parliament’s seat in the French city of Strasbourg.
Kohl, who died June 16 at the age of 87, is the first person to be honored with an official memorial event by the European Union.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the ceremony in Strasbourg, close to the border with Germany, was Kohl’s own choice.