Pope’s condolences for victims of Venezuelan prison riot

February 01, 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI expressed his grief on Thursday over the deaths and injury that followed rioting and gunfight in a prison in Venezuela. Last week’s clash between prison inmates and troops at Uribana prison in the central city of Barquisimèto, left at least 58 dead and more than 100 injured. Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sent a condolence message on behalf of the Pope to Venezuelan Archbishop Antonio José Lopez Castillo of Barquisimèto, saying the Holy Father prayed for the souls of the dead, expressed his deepest sympathy and spiritual closeness to the families of the victims, and prays for a speedy and full recovery of the wounded. The Pope encouraged all institutions and persons involved to continue working in a spirit of collaboration and good will to overcome the problems so as to avoid future repetition of such dramatic events.