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Pope condemns Beirut bombing

Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday condemned the deadly bombing in a Christian quarter of Beirut as the Vatican was trying to organise quickly a peacemaking trip of senior bishops to the neighbouring, civil war-ravaged county of Syria.

Denouncing the "terrible attack that occurred in Beirut" the Pope, who visited Lebanon last month, said he "joins in prayer with the bereaved families and the sadness of all Lebanese," a Vatican statement said.

The Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi added: "It is to be hoped that this horrible event will not be an excuse for increased violence." He said: "Lebanon should represent, as the Pope has said repeatedly, a message of peace and hope for its people and those of the entire region."

Friday's bomb attack struck during rush-hour in Ashrafieh, a predominantly Christian district of the Lebanese capital, killing seven people including anti-Damascus internal intelligence chief General Wissam al-Hassan, and wounding 86.

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