"Greatest competence"

ORF mourns the death of former correspondent (69)

Mathilde Schwabeneder was a radio and TV journalist, including in the ORF religion department, commentator and successful book author.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

The former ORF correspondent and author Mathilde Schwabeneder is dead. She died on Friday night at the age of 69, ORF reported.

Schwabeneder worked for the public broadcaster from 1996. After working for Ö1, she moved to ORF television in 1999, where she dealt with religious issues. From 2007 to 2020, the native of Upper Austria worked as a correspondent and office manager in Rome.

Great interviews
During her time in Italy, she also created a major TV documentary about Pope John Paul II and acted as a commentator at his funeral and the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI. She also conducted major interviews - for example with the Dalai Lama and Cat Stevens.

Outside of ORF, she has written several books such as "Auf der Flucht - Reportagen von beiden Seiten des Mittelmeers" (2015, together with Karim El-Gawhary) and "Sie packen aus - Frauen im Kampf gegen die Mafia" (2020). In 2021, she took over the chairmanship of the SOS Human Rights Austria association.

ORF Director General Roland Weißmann: "I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mathilde Schwabeneder, a legendary ORF journalist of outstanding integrity who, as a religious journalist and correspondent, informed ORF audiences about events in Italy, Rome and especially from the Vatican for many years."

Schwabeneder had "analyzed religious, political and social developments with the greatest competence and made them understandable - through sensitive, serious and respectful journalism".