Beirut: Pope Leo XIV prayed on Tuesday at the site of a deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion that has become a symbol of dysfunction and official impunity and called for justice to prevail, as 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 and the piles of burned cars torched in its wake. The explosion did billions of dollars in damage as hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a port warehouse.
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, angering Lebanese for whom the blast was just the latest evidence of impunity after decades of corruption and financial crimes.
“The visit clearly sends the message that the explosion was a crime,” said Cecile Roukoz, whose brother, Joseph Roukoz, was killed and who was on hand to meet the pope. “There should be a message; the country should end impunity and ensure justice is served.”
When he arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, Leo urged the country’s political leaders to pursue the truth as a means of peace and reconciliation.
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. An estimated 150,000 worshippers packed the Beirut waterfront for Leo’s final Mass, which he celebrated immediately after praying at the nearby blast site.