Francis joins in the suffering of the French people

Vatican City, 8 January 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Sanctae Marthae Chapel the Holy Father celebrated Mass for the victims of the attack in Paris yesterday, in which twelve people were killed and several were seriously injured. “The attack makes us think of great cruelty, human cruelty; of such terrorism, both isolated terrorism and state terrorism. The cruelty of which man is capable! Let us pray, in this Mass, for the victims of this cruelty. So many of them! And let us also pray for those who perform these cruel acts, so that the Lord might transform their hearts”.

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, France, the full text of which is published below:

“Upon learning of the terrible attack in Paris on the offices of 'Charlie Hebdo', which has claimed numerous victims, His Holiness Pope Francis joins in prayer with the suffering of the bereaved families and the sadness of all the French people. He entrusts the victims to God, full of mercy, and prays that He will welcome them in His light. He expresses his deepest sympathy for the injured and their families, and asks that the Lord console and comfort them in their ordeal. The Holy Father reiterates his condemnation of the violence that generates such suffering, and praying that God grant the gift of peace, he invokes a divine blessing for the afflicted families and the French people”.