POPE SHARES PAIN OF VICTIMS OF "VILE ATTACK" IN HEBRON

VATICAN CITY, NOV 17, 2002 (VIS) - In remarks made in several languages after praying the Angelus with pilgrims assembled in St. Peter's Square, the Pope referred to the victims of last Friday's attack in Hebron, and also recalled, in a comment made in French, the victims of automobile accidents.

"I wish to express," he said, "my deeply felt participation in the pain of the relatives of those who, last Friday, were the victims of a vile attack in Hebron, in the Holy Land, as people had just finished praying several steps away from the tomb of the one whom we recognize as our common father in the faith, the Patriarch Abraham. While I invoke eternal repose for the souls of those who died, I ask the Lord to instill in everyone the courage necessary to rediscover the path of justice and peace."

The Holy Father then recalled that "every year we are asked on this Sunday to remember the victims of automobile accidents. While praying especially to the Lord to welcome in His love all those who died tragically in an automobile accident, I entrust to Our Lady's tenderness the many who are wounded, often in a lasting way, as well as their families, and I call for solidarity on everyone's part. Finally, and earnestly, I ask drivers to show respect for each other, and a willingness to be prudent and responsible in their conduct."

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