Order of St. Gregory the Great bestowed upon Sybill Storz

Tuttlingen, 22.09.2017: During a festive Mass, Dr. h. c. mult. Sybill Storz was invested as a Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great at the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Sarajevo. On behalf of Pope Francis, Archbishop Vinko Cardinal Puljic presented the diploma and insignia of the order to the recipient in the presence of many guests.

In his speech, the cardinal highlighted the outstanding commitment of Sybill Storz to the long-term, active support of many humanitarian projects in the world, thereby promoting the common good on all continents. He stated that as a successful entrepreneur, Storz was always guided by the principles of solidarity, fairness, and readiness to help and thereby truly acted in the spirit of the gospel. Puljic particularly thanked Sybill Storz for her support of charitable causes in the Archdiocese of Sarajevo, with which she has been closely involved for 11 years. The cardinal commented that after the horrors of the war in the 1990s, Bosnia was still in particular need of aid, assistance, and support to ensure lasting peace and to support a reconciled unity between confessions, religions, and ethnic groups. For years, Bosnia has been experiencing a declining number of catholic residents, who leave the country due to a lack of economic perspectives and as a result of societal tensions. Therefore, the cardinal continued, it was important to give people hope through the targeted projects the recipient supports.

In her address, Sybill Storz expressed her gratitude for being bestowed the order. She confessed that the award filled her with joy and gratefulness and that helping wherever she could was a matter truly dear to her heart. The investiture ceremony was festively completed with a lunch at the archbishop's residence.

As part of its tour program, the small delegation from Tuttlingen visited various social organizations of the Archdiocese of Sarajevo. The encounters at various day and boarding schools as well as an orphanage and soup kitchen of Caritas were particularly impressive. A meeting at the Apostolic Nunciature provided insights about the political, social, and economic situation in the country.

The Order of St. Gregory the Great was established by Pope Gregory XVI in 1834 and is named after Pope Gregory the Great. It is one of five Orders of Knighthood of the Holy See. The Order is bestowed by the Pope in recognition of service to society and the church and has various classes or ranks. Since 1993, it can be bestowed upon women as well. In addition to Volker Kauder and Prof. Dr. Ungethüm, Dr. h. c. mult. Sybill Storz is now the third member of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in Tuttlingen.