Church pays tribute to victims of Air France Flight 447

“In the name of the Catholic Church in France, I wish to express to all of you that we are with you in your sufferings.” Cardinal André Armand Vingt-Trois expressed his condolences in a public declaration the day after the disappearance of the Air France Flight 447, Airbus A330-200, that was flying over the Atlantic Ocean en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris with 228 people on board.The disappearance “plunged the families of the passengers of different nationalities into mourning,” the Archbishop of Paris stated, inviting “Catholics to pray for all the victims and their families and to offer them our solidarity and friendship.”The passengers were of 32 different nationalities: 72 French, 59 Brazilians, 26 Germans, 10 Italians, and others from various countries. Among the crew members there were 12 victims: one was from Brazil and 11 were of French nationality.The disappearance is a source “of anguish and profound suffering” for the families and friends of the victims, Archbishop Antonio María Veglio emphasized in a telegram in which he conveyed his condolences on behalf of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, of which he is the president.The Church in Rome, France and Brazil has expressed her support for the families who are grieving, assuring them of her prayers and solidarity. Pope Benedict XVI has also expressed in a telegram his spiritual support and invoked divine mercy for the victims of the catastrophe.Today, Wednesday, June 3rd, there is an interreligious ceremony in Notre Dame in Paris, as well as an Islamic prayer called “the rite of the absent” which was organized by the Great Mosque of Paris, in coordination with the French Council of the Muslim Faith.

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