Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, sent a message on behalf of Pope Francis expressing the Holy Father’s condolences to the victims of a tragic train derailment that occurred in Canada on Monday.
A runaway oil train ignited in the town of Lac-Mégantic, located in Quebec, that killed 15 people and countless others missing or unaccounted for in the inferno. According to an Associated Press report, investigators have ruled out terrorism but are still looking into several other possibilities, including criminal negligence. The explosion of 5 cars containing oil also destroyed 30 buildings and forced the evacuation of almost 2,000 residents from their homes.
Cardinal Bertone conveyed the Pope’s sympathy for the victims and those missing, saying that the Holy Father “unites himself through prayer in the anguish of the grieving families” while entrusting “the victims to the mercy of God, asking Him to welcome them into His light.”
The telegram went on to say that the Holy Father prayed for the Lord’s comfort to the families, the injured and the emergency workers at the scene.
“As a token of consolation, the Holy Father sends a special apostolic blessing to all persons touched by this tragedy,” the telegram concluded.
