A state funeral and memorial service were held in Berlin for the late German politician Rita Süssmuth, who passed away in early February at 88. Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz, Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Bundestagspräsidentin Julia Klöckner, alongside Altkanzlerinnen Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz, paid tribute. Süssmuth, a former Bundestagspräsidentin (1988-1998) and the first Bundesfrauenministerin (1985-1988), was lauded as an "exceptional politician" and "Möglichmacherin" who was "ahead of her time." Speakers highlighted her pioneering efforts in modern family and labor policies, gender equality, combating AIDS by focusing on the disease not the affected, and advocating for migrants, social justice, and democracy. Her commitment to human dignity and willingness to challenge taboos, even within her own CDU party, defined her impactful career from 1987 to 2002.