Lebanon’s Catholic clergy have celebrated a commemorative Mass and held a vigil in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, remembering those who perished in the catastrophic port explosion five years ago. Source OSV News.
Pope Leo XIV also remembered the victims and comforted their loved ones in a special message.
Lebanese Maronite Archbishop Paul Abdel Sater of Beirut presided over a solemn memorial Mass at St George’s Cathedral in downtown Beirut.
“Our beloved martyrs and victims of the August 4, 2020, explosion, you remain in us, and we remain faithful. We will not forget, we will not tire, and we will not remain silent, for your sake, for our sake, and for the sake of our homeland, Lebanon,” he said.
“The blood of the innocent cries out to God for justice and he hears it.”
A message of comfort came from Pope Leo XIV. Christ’s tears “are joined with ours in the face of loss and suffering. Death does not and will never have the last word,” he said, conveying his affection and that of the whole Church to the Lebanese people.
Pope Leo “wishes to once again express his compassion to all those whose hearts are wounded or who have lost everything due to this catastrophe. The beloved and suffering Lebanon remains at the centre of his prayers,” the message read, as reported by Vatican News.
The apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, shared the Pope’s message during an evening prayer vigil on August 3 that also saw testimonies and the planting of 75 trees bearing the names of blast victims.
“The families of the victims need justice and truth about what happened,” Archbishop Borgia said. “These are deaths that still have no explanation, and this weighs heavily on the whole country.”
The 2020 explosion, considered one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in modern history, was set off by 2750 tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate in the port’s silos.
It killed more than 200 people, injured some 7000 others and displaced more than 300,000. Many of those killed were Christians due to the proximity to the port of mainly Christian neighbourhoods.
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Lebanese Catholic clergy commemorate Beirut port explosion victims five years later (By Dale Gavlak, OSV News)
