Pope Francis has sent a message of condolence following a plane crash that left 71 people dead, including members of the Brazilian football team.
The team, Chapecoense, were travelling to play in the first leg of the final of the Copa Sudamericana in Colombia when the crash occurred.
In the telegram, signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a message to Bishop Fidel Leon Cadavid Marin of Sonson-Rionegro said the Pope was "deeply distressed knowing the painful news of the grave accident with numerous victims" and that the Holy Father "lifts up his prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased," Catholic News Agency reports.
