In a telegram to card. Nasrallah Sfeir, president of the Lebanese Bishops and Catholic Patriarchs, Benedict XVI expresses "his heart-felt condolence, affectionate care and deep sympathy" for the tragic attack that killed general François El Hajj and his driver and injured dozens of people. In the telegram, signed by the Secretary of State, card. Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope "entrusts the victims to God’s mercy and prays the Almighty to give consolation to their families, to the families of the injured people and to all those who have been affected by this deed of unjustified violence". "The Pontiff goes on the text asks the Lord to give the public authorities and the Lebanese people the inner strength and the courage to find, beyond their personal interests, the path to unity and reconciliation, so that the Country can make progress towards peace and stability and may be for everyone a ‘message’ of fraternity and conviviality".
