Pope Benedict XVI says campus shootings "Senseless", prays for the victims

(18 Apr. 2007) : Pope Benedict XVI sent condolences on Tuesday to the university community of Virginia Tech after an armed student killed 32 people on Monday. The Pope's message-- conveyed in a telegram sent by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to Bishop Francis DiLorenzo of Richmond-- referred to the massacre as a "senseless tragedy." The Pope offered his prayer to "the entire school community," as well as the victims of the shooting, saying, "In the aftermath of this senseless tragedy, may God our Father console all those who mourn and grant them the spiritual strength, which triumphs over violence by the power of forgiveness, hope, and reconciling love." The man who went on a killing rampage before taking his own life, has been identified by the local police chief as a 23-year-old Cho Seung-Hui from South Korea. From Asia two faculty members, one from India and the other from Israel, are also reported among the dead. 57-year old Indian-born Prof Loganathan, from southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, was among those killed in the shooting. Among students, one from Korea was wounded and a young woman Meenal Panchal from Mumbai has been reported missing and her fate is still unknown. . Law enforcement authorities are still unable to say whether the gunman acted alone or had any accomplices. Names of the dead have yet to be released.