GRIEF OF POPE FOR PARIS FIRE VICTIMS

VATICAN CITY, Pope Benedict XVI today expressed his profound grief for the victims of the blaze that yesterday devastated a housing complex in Paris, killing 17 African immigrants, 14 of which children.

In a telegram of condolences sent by the Holy Father to the Archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Andrè Vingt-Trois " through Vatican State Secretary Cardinal Angelo Sodano " the Pontiff expressed his closeness to the families that lost their children in the fire, assuring his prayers and blessing for all the injured and the families of the victims. [BO]