VATICAN CITY, AUG. 26, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II expressed his condolences for the victims of the double air disaster which left 89 people dead.
In a message sent in the Pope’s name by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the papal secretary of state, to Archbishop Antonio Mennini, apostolic nuncio to the Russian Federation, he expresses his sympathy to the Russian authorities and the victims’ relatives and dear ones.
The Holy Father «invokes God’s consolation for those who are suffering because of this grave loss of their dear ones» and assures them of his «spiritual closeness,» the message reads.
The mysterious crashes occurred last Tuesday when two Russian passenger jets crashed almost simultaneously hundreds of miles apart after taking off from the same Moscow airport. The causes of the two crashes are still unknown.
