Your Excellency,

The Holy Father has learned with sadness of the death and destruction caused yesterday by the violent explosions in New Delhi and by the train derailment near Veligonda, south of Hyderabad.

His Holiness asks you kindly to convey to the religious and civil Authorities his sympathy and concern. To the families of those involved he offers heartfelt condolences, and he prayerfully commends the victims to the eternal mercies of Almighty God. Upon all associated with the search and rescue operations and the work of rebuilding he invokes an abundance of divine Blessings.

At the same time His Holiness once more firmly condemns all recourse to terrorist violence as a crime against humanity and calls upon all men and women of good will to cooperate in rejecting hatred in all its forms and to cooperate in the building of a society of justice, solidarity and peace.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano
Secretary of State

*L'Osservatore Romano. Weekly Edition in English n.45 p.2.