Pope: Dismay and prayers for victims of Brazil nightclub blaze
(Vatican Radio) Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his “dismay” at the deadly toll of
a devastating night-club fire in Brazil this weekend. An estimated 232 young people
were killed in the blaze which engulfed a disco in the city of Santa Maria in the
south of the country. 130 others were injured, some seriously.
The telegram
sent to Archbishop Hélio Adelar Ruper, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio
Bertone, reads: The Pope is shocked by the tragic death of hundreds of young people
… asks that you express his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, sharing
in the sorrow of all those who mourn them. He entrusts the dead to God, the Father
of mercy, and prays for the comfort and restoration of the wounded and for the courage
and consolation of all those affected by the tragedy. He sends his apostolic blessing
to all those who are suffering and those who are assisting them."
The country
meanwhile is still in shock and searching for answers to a tragedy that perhaps could
have been avoided. The origin of the fire seems to have been the lighting of a flare
onstage by a member of a band during a performance.
The Brazilian bishops
have also expressed their "spiritual closeness and solidarity" to all those who have
been affected by the tragedy. Archishop Hélio Adelar Ruper, of Santa Maria, has urged
those involved "not to lose hope."