Requiem and state act: Bavaria says goodbye to Hubert Aiwanger

In addition to Aiwanger's family and many citizens, prominent guests from all over Bavaria came to Munich for the funeral service. Almost the entire Bavarian cabinet is present, including the leaders of the Free Voters and Franz Duke of Bavaria. After the requiem, a state ceremony is planned in the Church of Our Lady with speeches from, among others, Prime Minister Markus Söder, State Parliament President Ilse Aigner and FW parliamentary group leader Florian Streibl.

A state ceremony rarely takes place in Bavaria and only for special personalities. Most recently, the former state parliament presidents Barbara Stamm and Alois Glück (both CSU) were honored with a state ceremony for their life's achievements.

In his homily, the cardinal emphasized the uniqueness of human life. “You can’t repeat your earthly life, you have to fill it,” he said. What matters is what you do in life, not how long it takes. Even if Aiwanger's life seems unfinished since he was only 55 years old. Marx called it a great life, “one that wanted a lot, achieved a lot, and sometimes failed.”

Aiwanger's life was characterized by passion and a big heart, said Marx. Aiwanger was a “real Bavarian man,” combative, but also with a good-natured side. The cardinal quoted Frank Sinatra: “I did it my way,” he had to remember that because Aiwanger was unique in his kind. He carried many people along, caused offense and suffered injuries himself.

Marx said he was annoyed when politicians were sometimes spoken of in a derogatory manner. “It is a high calling, a high calling, to stand up for the common good, even if we have different opinions about the path.” It is important that there are people who are passionate about the community. “He still wanted to achieve a lot,” Marx said of Aiwanger.

The Requiem will be musically performed by the vocal ensemble of the Munich Cathedral Music, the cathedral orchestra and the soprano Katja Stuber under the direction of cathedral music director Lucia Hilz. You can hear excerpts from the Requiem in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and from Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Cathedral cantor Benedikt Celler plays the organ.