Milestones

DIED. FRANZ CARDINAL KONIG, 98, progressive-minded prelate of the Roman Catholic Church; in Vienna. A savvy diplomat fluent in seven languages, Knig was twice considered a candidate for the papacy. During the 1960s he was at the center of a movement to liberalize church policy, helping to organize the Second Vatican Council, which expanded the influence of the laity and famously absolved the Jews of responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Even after the church turned conservative again, Knig continued to reach out, becoming the Vatican's point man for Eastern Europe and non-Catholics. "I wanted a dialogue with all people,"...