Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has expressed his condolences over the loss of life in an earthquake in Italy's Abruzzo region and said he was praying for the peace of the victims' souls."I am conveying my most profound condolences over the loss of hundreds of lives in the earthquake in Abruzzo. Sharing the grief of the families and relatives of those who have fallen victim to the natural disaster, we remember the Gospel saying: 'God is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive,'" Patriarch Kirill said in a message to Pope Benedict XVI, published on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The Russian patriarch has also sent a telegram to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, saying that "the hearts of the believers of the Russian Orthodox Church go out to all those stricken by this misfortune."
Patriarch Kirill wished Berlusconi standing power, strength and God's help.
According to updated reports, 207 people were killed in the earthquake and 15 remain unaccounted for, and 178 people were injured, of whom 100 are in a serious condition.
More than 20,000 people were evacuated from the area affected by the natural disaster.
Over 100 were retrieved from the rubble in a rescue effort which continued throughout the night.
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(Source: INTF)