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Pope Benedict meets Beslan children
Jan 11, 2006, 13:40 GMT
Rome - Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday met a group of Russian children who survived the horrific terrorist attack of September 2004 in a school in Beslan.
The visibly moved pontiff spoke to each of the 29 children invididually, the Ansa news agency reported. Television images showed him posing for a group photo.
'These children have suffered a terrible trauma. Let us help them so that they may forget the tragedy and become witnesses of peace for the future of humanity,' the 78-year-old pontiff said.
The visit to the Vatican was one of the highlights of the children's tour of Italy, which has been sponsored by the Italian government.
A total of 331 people, including 186 children, died and 900 others were wounded in the Beslan school when a Russian special-forces unit stormed the building at which Chechyan separatists had taken hundreds of children hostage.
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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