Editing Kurt Waldheim (section)

==Later years and death==
After his term ended in 1992, Waldheim did not seek re-election. In the same year, he was made an honorary member of ''K.H.V. Welfia Klosterneuburg'', a [[Roman Catholic]] [[Studentenverbindung|student fraternity]], part of the [[Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen|Austrian ''Cartellverband'']]. In 1994, [[Pope John Paul II]] awarded Waldheim a knighthood in the [[Order of Pius IX]] and his wife a papal honor.<ref>{{cite news|title=Waldheim's Wife Gets a Papal Award|work=The New York Times|date=22 August 1994|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEED71439F931A1575BC0A962958260|access-date=14 June 2007}}</ref> He died on 14 June 2007, at the age of 88 from heart failure.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://mobile.nytimes.com/2007/06/14/world/europe/14iht-waldheim.3.6141106.html |title=Kurt Waldheim dies at 88; ex-UN chief hid Nazi past |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=14 June 2007 |access-date=14 June 2007}}</ref> On 23 June, his funeral was held at [[St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna]], and he was buried at the Presidential Vault in the ''[[Zentralfriedhof]]'' ("central cemetery").<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/23/europe/EU-GEN-Austria-Waldheim.php "Former Austrian president whose term was marred by wartime service buried"], Associated Press (''International Herald Tribune''), 23 June 2007.</ref>

In his speech at the cathedral, Federal President [[Heinz Fischer]] called Waldheim "a great Austrian" who had been wrongfully accused of having committed war crimes. Fischer also praised Waldheim for his efforts to solve international crises and for his contributions to world peace.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120210091453/http://www.bundespraesident.at/index.php?id%3D20%26no_cache%3D1%26tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D%3D2035%26L%3D0 Trauerfeier für Altbundespräsident Dr. Kurt Waldheim im Wiener Stephansdom, 23.06.2007] (Speech of President Heinz Fischer)</ref>
At Waldheim's own request, no foreign heads of states or governments were invited to attend his funeral except [[Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein|Hans-Adam II]], the Prince of [[Liechtenstein]]. Also present was [[Luis Durnwalder]], governor of the Italian province of [[South Tyrol]]. [[Japan]] and [[Syria]] were the only two countries that laid wreaths on his grave. [[Ban Ki-moon]], the secretary-general of the United Nations, issued a message "voicing sadness".<ref>[https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22906&Cr=secretary&Cr1=general#.U-cWCWOKa1U Ban Ki-moon voices sadness at death of former Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim]. un.org</ref> In a two-page letter, published posthumously by the Austrian Press Agency the day after he died, Waldheim admitted to making "mistakes" ("but these were certainly not those of a follower let alone an accomplice of a criminal regime") and asked his critics for forgiveness.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070703082848/http://activepaper.tele.net/vntipps/WaldheimVermaechtnis.pdf Waldheim Vermaechtnis] Active Paper</ref>