Sea of Lights at Vienna's Stephansplatz After Rampage in Graz

In memory of the rampage in Graz, a sea of lights at Vienna's Stephansplatz and a service in St. Stephen's Cathedral took place. Several hundred people followed the call of Caritas and the Young Church of the Archdiocese on Wednesday afternoon. "We want to send a strong signal towards Graz," said Caritas Vienna head Klaus Schwertner to the APA. "Something like a hug for the families and friends of the victims."

Many people have been in a state of "helplessness" since the rampage and are overwhelmed by the situation, he said. "Our task now is to come together once more in Austria, to approach each other and to be there for one another. And that is exactly what we want to show today."

Candles Next to Entrance of Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral

On Wednesday afternoon, there was a coming and going at Stephansplatz, according to the organizers, several hundred people lit white candles and placed them next to the entrance of St. Stephen's Cathedral. In total, Caritas Vienna provided 3,000 candles, a spokeswoman told the APA. Among the participants were also Caritas Europe President Michael Landau and Green Party politicians Werner Kogler and Alma Zadić.

A 24-year-old Viennese woman who lit a candle told the APA that the incident in Graz "affected her deeply." The young woman did not always feel completely comfortable at school herself, but she generally remembers her school days positively. In contrast to many others who paused briefly and then moved on, the 24-year-old stayed longer at the sea of lights and attended the service in St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Musicians Led the Commemoration

In the cathedral, musicians led the commemoration. Participants had the opportunity to speak with pastoral counselors and light candles. Additionally, stations were set up where messages or wishes could be left.

Josef Grünwidl, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Vienna, expressed his delight that the Catholic Youth invited to a prayer and memorial service, "where there is also room for grief and despair," he told the APA. On Thursday, after the end of the national mourning, there will be another service to commemorate the victims of Graz and to "celebrate the perspective of hope, so that death and evil, hatred and brutality do not have the last word."

Van der Bellen after Rampage in Graz

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen signed the condolence book set up by the city at the town hall of the Styrian capital on Wednesday after the rampage at a school in Graz. Prior to this, he had discussions with Governor Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) at the Graz Castle and with Mayor Elke Kahr (KPÖ) at the town hall. "The shock over the dead children and adolescents runs very, very deep," Van der Bellen said to the media at the main square.

The discussions with Kunasek and Kahr were "on one hand marked by the terror and horror we experienced yesterday. But on the other hand, the police operation was acknowledged. It was quick, it could have been worse, as terrible as it is to say. The other federal states have already reached out to offer advice and support, especially with personnel where it is needed."

Van der Bellen also stated: "Questions arise for the future - one concerns the 21-year-old. He had weapons ready for use. Is the legal situation really such that it meets modern requirements? This will need to be examined. And the second question, which may be even more important, is: How can the safety of schools and kindergartens be improved, because there can never be one hundred percent security. As I walked through the city today, I thought: Someone could shoot from a window or a moving car at any time."

"The shock over the dead children and adolescents runs, of course, very, very deep. This has never happened in this extent in Austria before. I understand that Graz, the whole of Styria, and Austria are mourning. We have received many sympathetic messages from European countries. Everyone takes what happened here very seriously. And we will have to think about how we can do a little more to give teachers and students a sense of more security."

"We Will Stand Together"

He continued: "Graz is unfortunately in focus. It is a beautiful city that we love very much, but unfortunately, it happened here. We will stand together." When asked what he could say to the parents of the killed children, he said: "If I imagine that one of my sons went to school and didn't come home at noon. It's just terrible."

Van der Bellen was also asked about the current gun laws and his opinion: "Politicians will certainly look into how it is possible for a 21-year-old to possess short and long guns, and have the opportunity to buy the appropriate ammunition and cause this disaster. I have also read in the media that Austria supposedly has liberal gun laws. The question is: How can we reduce the likelihood of such murders."

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.