Editing Helmut Kohl (section)

== Death, European act of state and funeral ==
{{Main|Death and funeral of Helmut Kohl}}
Kohl died at 9:15&nbsp;a.m. on Friday, 16 June 2017 in the Oggersheim district of Ludwigshafen, his home town, aged 87, of natural causes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11477991|title=Obituary: Helmut Kohl|date=16 June 2017|work=BBC News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031319/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11477991 |archive-date= Jul 21, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/world/europe/helmut-kohl-german-chancellor-dead.html |url-access=subscription |title=Helmut Kohl, Chancellor Who Reunited Germany, Dies at 87 |work=[[The New York Times]] |last1=Whitney |first1=Craig R. |last2=Cowell|first2=Alan|date=16 June 2017 |access-date=16 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Helmut Kohl ist tot: "Kanzler der Einheit" mit 87 Jahren gestorben |url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/helmut-kohl-ist-laut-bild-tot-a-1152553.html |website=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=16 June 2017 |access-date=16 June 2017 |language=de}}</ref>
[[File:Grab Helmut Kohl, Speyer August 2022.jpg|thumb|right|Grave of Kohl in Speyer, 2022]]
Kohl was honoured with [[European act of state in honour of Helmut Kohl|an unprecedented European act of state]] on 1 July in [[Strasbourg]], France.<ref name="auto2"/> A Catholic [[requiem mass]] was subsequently celebrated in [[Speyer Cathedral]]. Kohl was interred in the Cathedral Chapter Cemetery ("{{lang|de|Domkapitelfriedhof}}") in [[Speyer]], directly adjacent to the Konrad Adenauer Park and a few hundred metres to the northwest of the cathedral.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/staatsakt-fuer-helmut-kohl-soll-auf-europaeischer-ebene-stattfinden-15068106.html|title=Staatsakt für Helmut Kohl soll auf europäischer Ebene stattfinden |first=Günter|last=Bannas|date=20 June 2017|newspaper=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}}</ref> It was reported that Kohl had himself chosen the burial location in the late summer of 2015 when his health began to deteriorate.<ref name=HKinDomkapitelfriedhof>{{cite web|title=Kohls letzte Ruhestätte auf Domkapitelfriedhof|work=Altbundeskanzler Helmut Kohl wird auf dem Domkapitelfriedhof in Speyer beigesetzt. Das hat das Bistum Speyer bestätigt. Die Stadt und besonders der Dom hatten für Kohl eine wichtige Rolle gespielt.|date=22 June 2017|url=https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rp/ludwigshafen/altkanzler-kohl-soll-in-speyer-beerdigt-werden-kohls-letzte-ruhestaette-auf-domkapitelfriedhof/-/id=1652/did=19752948/nid=1652/12r234q/index.html|publisher=Südwestrundfunk, Stuttgart|access-date=1 July 2017}}{{dead link|date=December 2023}}</ref>

No member of the Kohl family—Kohl's children and grandchildren—participated in any of the ceremonies, owing to a feud with Kohl's controversial second wife [[Maike Kohl-Richter]], who had among other things barred them from paying their respects to him at his house, ignored their wish for a ceremony in Berlin and their wish that Kohl should be interred alongside his parents and his wife of four decades [[Hannelore Kohl]] in the family tomb.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/speyer-requiem-fuer-helmut-kohl.2852.de.html?dram:article_id=390071|title= Requiem für Helmut Kohl|work=Deutschlandfunk|date= July 2017}}</ref>

=== Tributes ===
<!-- to do: this section can now be shortened/summarised, since there is a stand-alone article on his death and funeral with a reactions section -->

Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking from the German Embassy in Rome, said that "this man who was great in every sense of the word—his achievement, his role as a statesman in Germany at its historical moment—it's going to take a while until we can truly assess what we have lost in his passing."<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/16/533221232/helmut-kohl-architect-of-germanys-reunification-dies-at-87|title=Helmut Kohl, Architect of Germany's Reunification, Dies at 87|publisher=[[NPR]] |date=16 June 2017|access-date=16 June 2017}}</ref> She lauded Kohl's "supreme art of statesmanship in the service of people and peace" and noted that Kohl had also changed her own life decisively.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/merkel-zum-tod-von-kohl-lassen-sie-mir-bitte-etwas-zeit-15064402.html|title=Merkel zum Tod von Kohl: "Lassen Sie mir bitte etwas Zeit"|first=Jörg|last=Bremer|date=16 June 2017|work=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}}</ref>

[[Pope Francis]] lauded Kohl as "a great statesman and committed European [who] worked with farsightedness and devotion for the good of the people in Germany and in neighbouring European countries."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/06/17/pope_francis_sends_condolences_upon_death_of_helmut_kohl/1319639|title=Pope Francis sends condolences upon death of Helmut Kohl|website=En.radiovaticana.va|access-date=6 December 2017}}</ref>

The [[14th Dalai Lama]] praised Kohl as "a visionary leader and statesman" and said he had "great admiration for Chancellor Kohl's steady leadership when the Cold War came to a peaceful end and the reunification of Germany became possible."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/international/5575-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-of-tibet-condoles-helmut-kohls-death|title=His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet condoles Helmut Kohl's death|website=Thetibetpost.com|date=20 June 2017|access-date=6 December 2017|archive-date=20 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620082156/http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/international/5575-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-of-tibet-condoles-helmut-kohls-death|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Flags were flown at half-staff at the [[European Commission]] headquarters in Brussels. Commission president [[Jean-Claude Juncker]] lauded Kohl as "a great European."<ref name="faz17">{{cite news|url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/reaktionen-auf-den-tod-kohls-in-tiefer-trauer-um-einen-grossen-europaeer-15064292.html|title=Reaktionen auf den Tod Kohls: "Helmut Kohl war ein Glücksfall für uns Deutsche"|date=16 June 2017|work=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung}}</ref> He called Kohl "my mentor, my friend, the very essence of Europe."<ref name="rferl.org">{{cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/germany-kohl-death-reaction-world-leaders/28559321.html|title=Past, Present World Leaders Hail Kohl As 'Friend of Freedom,' Unifier of Europe|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty}}</ref> The President of the European Council, [[Donald Tusk]], called Kohl "a friend and a statesman, who helped to reunify Europe."<ref name="rtl.de">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rtl.de/cms/so-trauert-die-internationale-gemeinschaft-um-altkanzler-helmut-kohl-87-4117109.html|title=So trauert die internationale Gemeinschaft um Altkanzler Helmut Kohl († 87)|website=rtl.de|date=17 June 2017 }}</ref>

Former US president [[George H. W. Bush]] lauded Kohl as "a true friend of freedom" and "one of the greatest leaders in post-War Europe."<ref name="auto" /> Former US president Bill Clinton said he was "deeply saddened" by the death of "my dear friend" whose "visionary leadership prepared Germany and all of Europe for the 21st century." US president [[Donald Trump]] said Kohl was "a friend and ally to the United States" and that "he was not only the father of German reunification, but also an advocate for Europe and the transatlantic relationship. The world has benefited from his vision and efforts. His legacy will live on."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/338238-trump-expresses-condolences-for-later-german-chancellor/|title=Trump expresses condolences for late German chancellor|first=Julia|last=Manchester|date=16 June 2017|website=The Hill|access-date=6 December 2017}}</ref> Former US secretary of state [[James Baker]] said Kohl's death meant "Germany has lost one of its greatest leaders, the United States has lost one of its best friends and the world has lost a ringing voice for freedom," and that Kohl "more than anyone at the end of the Cold War [...] was the architect of the reunification of Germany" which had "brought freedom to millions and has helped make Europe safer and more prosperous."<ref name="thenewstribune.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article156561279.html|title=The Latest: Trump hails Kohl as friend, ally, EU advocate|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616215641/http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article156561279.html|archive-date=16 June 2017}}</ref>

French president [[Emmanuel Macron]] called Kohl a "great European" and "an architect of united Germany and Franco-German friendship."<ref name="rferl.org" /> Belgian prime minister [[Charles Michel]] called Kohl "a true European" who "will be greatly missed."<ref name="rtl.de" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lesoir.be/100043/article/2017-06-16/le-monde-rend-hommage-lex-chancelier-helmut-kohl-un-artisan-de-lallemagne-unie|title=Le monde rend hommage à l'ex-chancelier Helmut Kohl, un "artisan de l'Allemagne unie"|website=Lesoir.be|date=16 June 2017|access-date=6 December 2017}}</ref> Dutch prime minister [[Mark Rutte]] said Kohl was "a great statesman" who had shaped European history.<ref name="rheinpfalz.de">{{cite web|url=http://www.rheinpfalz.de/nachrichten/themen-des-tages/artikel/stimmen-und-zitate-zum-tode-helmut-kohls/|title=Stimmen und Zitate zum Tode Helmut Kohls|website=rheinpfalz.de|access-date=17 June 2017|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515075527/https://www.rheinpfalz.de/nachrichten/themen-des-tages/artikel/stimmen-und-zitate-zum-tode-helmut-kohls/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Spanish prime minister [[Mariano Rajoy]] lauded Kohl's role in European history and in the German reunification.<ref name="rheinpfalz.de" /> Polish prime minister [[Beata Szydło]] called Kohl "an outstanding figure and statesman, a great politician in exceptional times".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pap.pl/en/news-/news,977368,kohl-outstanding-figure-great-politician-in-exceptional-times---pm.html |title=A great politician in exceptional times – PM bids farewell to Helmut Kohl gone at 87 |publisher=Polish Press Agency |access-date=18 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923121407/http://www.pap.pl/en/news-/news,977368,kohl-outstanding-figure-great-politician-in-exceptional-times---pm.html |archive-date=23 September 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Italian president [[Sergio Mattarella]] called Kohl one of Europe's founding fathers, and said that "he who was, rightly, described as 'the Chancellor of Reunification', worked with far-sightedness and determination, in years marked by deep and epochal changes in world equilibria, to give back unity to his country in the framework of the great project of European integration. As an authentic statesman, he knew how to combine pragmatism and a capacity of vision, furnishing a courageous contribution not only to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, but also to overcoming the dramatic divisions which, for decades, had torn Europe."<ref name="ansa">{{cite web|url=http://www.ansa.it/english/news/politics/2017/06/16/italy-pays-tribute-to-helmut-kohl_3221fcfb-6e3e-4848-ac93-fcf5f8f558ff.html|title=Italy pays tribute to Helmut Kohl – English|date=16 June 2017|website=Ansa.it|access-date=6 December 2017}}</ref> Former Italian prime minister and President of the European Commission [[Romano Prodi]] called Kohl "a giant of a united Europe."<ref name="ansa" /> Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán called Kohl the "great old man" of European politics and "Hungary's friend".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kormany.hu/en/the-prime-minister/news/may-god-rest-the-soul-of-the-great-old-man|title= May God rest the soul of the great old man |website=Government of Hungary}}</ref>

Former British prime minister [[John Major]] said Kohl was "a towering figure in German and European history" who "entrenched Germany in a wider Europe, in the hope of achieving a unity and peace that the continent had never known before. This required great political strength and courage – both of which qualities Helmut had in abundance."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/uk-world-news/helmut-kohl-reunification-of-germany-13198135|title=Helmut Kohl dies: Sir John Major's tribute to 'towering' figure|first=Duncan|last=Gibbons|date=16 June 2017|website=Coventrytelegraph.net}}</ref> British prime minister [[Theresa May]] called Kohl "a giant of European history" and said that "I pay tribute to the role he played in helping to end the Cold War and reunify Germany. We have lost the father of modern Germany."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/content/703eaf54-52a8-11e7-a1f2-db19572361bb |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/content/703eaf54-52a8-11e7-a1f2-db19572361bb |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription|title= Former German chancellor Helmut Kohl dies aged 87 |website=Financial Times|date= 16 June 2017 |last1= Wagstyl |first1= Stefan }}</ref>

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev said that "it was real luck that at that difficult time [1989–1990] leading nations were headed by statesmen with a sense of responsibility, adamant about defending the interests of their countries but also able to consider the interests of others, able to overcome the barrier of prevailing suspicion about partnership and mutual trust. The name of this outstanding German politician will stay in the memory of his compatriots and all Europeans."<ref name="thenewstribune.com" /> Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] said "I was lucky to know Helmut Kohl in person. I profoundly admired his wisdom and the ability to make well-considered, far-reaching decisions even in the most difficult situations." He called Kohl a "highly reputed statesman, one of the patriarchs of European and world politics."<ref name="rferl.org" />

NATO secretary-general [[Jens Stoltenberg]] said Kohl was "a true European" and the "embodiment of a united Germany in a united Europe."<ref name="rferl.org" /> UN secretary-general [[António Guterres]] said Kohl had "played an instrumental role in the peaceful reunification of his country" and that "today's Europe is a product of his vision and his tenacity, in the face of enormous obstacles."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56996|title=UN News – UN chief praises 'vision, tenacity' of the late Helmut Khol, chancellor who reunited Germany|first=United Nations News Service|last=Section|date=16 June 2017|website=UN News Service Section}}</ref>