Pope prays for victims of Iran’s air crash

(July 16,2009): - Pope Benedict XVI expressed prayers and grief on Thursday on hearing of Iran’s air tragedy. A Caspian Airlines flight from Teheran bound for Yerevan, Armenia, crashed on Wednesday killing all 168 people aboard. A condolence telegram sent in the Pope’s name by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone to Apostolic Nuncio in Iran Mons. Jean-Paul Gobel read, “Saddened by news of the great loss of life in the air tragedy over Jannatabad near Qazvin, the Holy Father offers heartfelt condolences to the civil authorities and the families of the victims. He prays for eternal repose of the dead and implores God’s comfort and strength on those, who mourn the loss of their loved ones”.
The cause of Wednesday’s air crash was still unknown. The Russian built Tupolev aircraft was en route to neighboring Armenia, when it caught fire in mid-air and ploughed into farmland 16 minutes after departing from Teheran, killing all onboard, majority of them Iranians but there were also Armenian and Georgian citizens.