Pope: condolences to Venezuela after refinery accident
(Vatican Radio) Pope Benedict XVI has sent a Message of Condolence to the those affected
by the recent accident at the Amuay Refinery in Falcon state, Venezuela. The accident
occurred Saturday. It killed 48 people, injured dozens of others and damaged 200 nearby
homes. Firefighters have extinguished the blaze at one of three burning oil tanks
in what is the country's biggest refinery. Conveyed via telegram addressed to the
President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Venezuela, Archbishop Diego Rafael
Padrón Sánchez of Cumaná, and signed by the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone, the telegram expresses the Holy Father’s prayerful spiritual closeness
to the victims and their families. Below, please find the full text of Vatican
Radio's translation of the telegram.
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POPE
BENEDICT XVI, deeply saddened by the news of the serious accident in AMUAY REFINERY,
Falcon state, which caused many casualties and much property damage, prays the Lord
for the eternal rest of the deceased, while expressing fatherly spiritual closeness
to the injured and to all the victims and their families.
The Pope also encourages
the whole civil and ecclesial community of Venezuela to a spirit of charity Christian
solidarity in giving all necessary assistance to those who have lost their homes or
their personal property. With these sentiments, the Holy Father imparts his Apostolic
Blessing to those affected and to those who are working to relieve them, as a sign
of affection to the beloved people of Venezuela.