A Crossair Jumbolino Avro RJ-100 coming from Berlin crashed as it tried to land Saturday, killing 24.
The message, signed by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, and addressed to Bishop Amede Grab of Chur, states: «Overwhelmed by the dimensions of the accident, His Holiness prays to God, Lord of life and death, for the victims and implores eternal life for them.»
In the telegram, written in German, John Paul II says he is «close to the relatives who weep for a loved one and prays that they will receive Christian consolation to overcome dark hours and days.»