TELEGRAM FOR DEATH OF ITALIAN ENGINEER KILLED IN NIGERIA

Vatican City, 13 March 2012 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. to Archbishop Enrico Masseroni of Vercelli, Italy, for the funeral of the Italian engineer Francesco Lamolinara. Mr Lamolinara and a British colleague were kidnapped in Nigeria on 12 May 2011 and both men were killed last Thursday in the course of a failed rescue attempt.

"Benedict XVI, informed of the tragic death of the engineer Francesco Lamolinara, wishes to express his deepest condolences to members of the late man's family, and to assure them of his heartfelt participation in their mourning. Recalling the deceased's generous openness towards others and his contribution to peaceful coexistence among peoples, the Pope raises fervent prayers of Christian suffrage for his soul, sending his relatives and friends the comfort of an apostolic blessing, which he extends to everyone participating in the funeral and to the deceased's fellow citizens of Gattinara.

"I too join the mourning and the prayers, and remain close to the relatives and friends whom I met last August to support them in their hope at that difficult moment".