Full text of telegram sent on behalf of Pope Benedict: The Most Reverend
Leo Jun Ikenaga President, Catholic Bishops' Conference of Japan
Deeply saddened
by the sudden and tragic effects of the major earthquake and consequent tsunamis which
have struck Japan s north-eastern coastal regions, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
assures all who have been afflicted of his closeness at this difficult time. He prays
for those who have died, and upon their grieving families and friends he invokes divine
blessings of strength and consolation. The Holy Father also expresses his prayerful
solidarity with all those providing rescue, relief and support to the victims of this
disaster.