Pope Leo XIV sends message of support to southern Lebanon as he ends 1st foreign trip
Pope Leo XIV prayed Tuesday at the site of a deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion that has become a symbol of dysfunction and official impunity.
He offered words of consolation to Lebanon’s people — including in the war-battered south — on the final day of his first overseas trip.
Relatives of some of the 218 people killed by the blast held up photos of their loved ones as Leo arrived at the scorched site.
They stood side by side as Leo prayed silently first at a monument to the dead, then greeted each one, grasping their hands.
The emotional encounter took place next to the shell of the last grain silo standing at the site destroyed by the Aug. 4, 2020, blast.
Five years on, the families of those killed are still seeking justice. No official has been convicted in a judicial investigation that has been repeatedly obstructed,.
In a homily Sunday after praying at the site, Leo referred explicitly to the blast and called for Lebanon to be a place of justice.