XMM-Newton observations of absorption features towards PKS 2155-304

We present XMM-Newton grating spectra of the bright BL Lac object PKS 2155 - 304 taken in November 2000. Various absorption features are detected in the range 5-38 A. The results are compared with those recently obtained with Chandra gratings [ApJ 573 (2002) 157; Nature, 421 (2003) 719]. We discuss whether the absorption occurs at the source (in the host galaxy or in a jet), in the Galactic halo, or in the intervening cluster. We are not able to confirm the proposal by [ApJL 572 (2002) L127] that a hot medium is responsible for an absorption feature at an intermediate redshift. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.