Tens of thousands greet Pope at site of huge Beirut blast
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Lebanese capital to witness Pope Leo’s message of unity to a shattered city and a fractured state.
Before Mass, Pope Leo stopped by the site of a powerful chemical explosion that in August 2020 wrecked entire neighborhoods, killing 218 people and injuring 7,000.
He held a moment of silent prayer in front of the memorial to the victims.
Along the route enthusiastic crowds waved flags and flowers as Leo traveled by in his popemobile as hymns rang out.
A few relatives of those who were killed were waiting with photos of their loved ones.
Among them was Najwa Hayek, whose daughter, Lara, is still in a coma five years after the blast.
Lara was 42 at the time. Later this month she will turn 48.
“It’s so hard, I cannot believe she has gone like this,” her mother told NBC News in an interview Monday.