POPE JOHN Paul II expressed his sympathy and closeness to the relatives of the victims of the suicide attack in Jerusalem last weekend that left eight people dead.
In a telegram addressed to Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic delegate in Jerusalem, the Pope “firmly deplores the new and brutal attack carried out in Jerusalem and assures his closeness to the relatives of the victims.” The message, sent on behalf of the Holy Father by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano, exhorts “the authorities and citizens not to be carried away by the absurd dynamic of violence.”