India’s Catholic Church’s condolences for families of air crash victims

(May 24, 2010) India’s Catholic Church expressed condolences to the families of victims of an Air India Express plane crash in southern India’s Mangalore city’s airport on Saturday. The plane carrying mostly migrant workers from Dubai crashed on landing killing 158 of the 166 passengers and crew aboard. Eight survived. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, CBCI, issued a message on Saturday saying he received with great sadness the news of the air tragedy and prayed for the victims and their families at his morning Mass. “The Indian Church “grieves over this great loss of life in the air tragedy. We are aware that words cannot take away the grief, sorrow and pain, but we offer our prayers and solidarity to the families,” the prelate said in his message released to AsiaNews. The Indian Church prays that those who have survived this ordeal may soon recover. The Church extends all support-emotional, spiritual and financial-to the survivors to enable them to cope and recover, and to help them in all ways possible, the cardinal added. He prayed for the “outpouring of the Holy Spirit” on the families so that they be consoled in their “sufferings and pain over the loss of their loved ones.” Fr. Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the CBCI, also expressed similar sentiments on behalf of India’s Catholic Church.