PAPAL CONDOLENCE FOR RUSSIAN PLANE-CRASH VICTIMS

Moscow, Aug. 26 (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II has send his condolences to the families of those killed in a double air crash in Russia.

In a telegram signed in the Pope's name by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Pontiff expressed his sorrow over the crashes near Rostov-on-the-Don, in which 89 people were killed, and promised his prayers for the victims and their families. The Pope's message was addressed to the Russian people through Archbishop Antonio Mennini, the apostolic nuncio in Moscow.

Russian investigators have not yet determined the cause of the disaster, and are not excluding any possible cause; the theories explaining the crashes have ranged from terrorism to human error or mechanical failure.

Suspicions of terrorism were roused by the fact that the two planes dropped off air-control radar screens simultaneously. Some Russians theorize that the crashes could have been caused by Chechnyan terrorists; they occurred just five days before elections in that province. Chechnyan separatist groups have denied responsibility.

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