In it, he thanked God for the technological advances that have made it possible for the "Man of the Shroud" to be seen by, and reach out to, so many people.

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Mr Siniscalco declares that, when he was finance minister, he thanked God every day for the euro, without which his job would have been even more impossible than it was already.

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Mr Putin said he had thanked God that no big fragments of the meteor - which was thought to be made of iron and travelling at some 30km (19 miles) per second - had fallen in populated areas.

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In a statement as he resigned, the cardinal thanked God "for any good I have been able to do" and apologised "to all whom I have offended for any failures".

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Mr Sanford thanked volunteers and voters, saying that while he believes in "a God of second chances, at times voters are a little bit less forgiving".

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