Vatican City, Sep 28, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Yesterday evening Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, following the release of two Italian women who had been kidnapped on September 7 as they volunteered in Iraq, issued a statement expressing Pope John Paul II’s “great joy [at] the news.”
“His thoughts also went to their families and, together with them and with all other people of good will, thanks God for this humane gesture," continued the statement.