As Lebanon marks the second anniversary of a devastating explosion in the Port of Beirut, observers say little progress has been made on an explanation, and many citizens are angry at the lack of answers. Meanwhile, the country’s social and economic crises are worsening.
The power of prayer is needed to help heal Lebanon, according to religious leaders who gathered at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral on Aug. 25 for a prayer service that doubled as a fundraising event for the victims of the Beirut explosion.
The Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut has devastated Lebanon but Catholic relief organizations are on the ground providing emergency care.
U.S. Daughter of Charity Sister Ann Sauvé, a member of the administrative staff at the order’s Sacred Heart Hospital in this Beirut suburb, will not easily forget Aug. 4 and the massive explosion in the port of Beirut.
The Catholic Near East Welfare Association is helping on the ground in Lebanon following the Aug. 4 explosion. CNEWA President Msgr. Peter Vaccari says the devastated country needs prayers.
When the explosion occurred, Pamela Zeinoun was on her daily shift at Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, known as Al Roum Hospital, in the Ashrafia district close to Beirut’s ground zero.
Pope Francis has sent 250,000 euros ($295,000) to Lebanon to help the Catholic Church and Catholic charitable organizations assist people impacted by the massive explosion Aug. 4 in Beirut.
After a deadly blast in Beirut, Lebanon injured more than 5,000 and killed roughly 135, Christian Lebanese are likely to turn to St. Charbel for his miraculous healing.
Lebanese people in New York are eager to get humanitarian relief to Lebanon in the wake of the deadly explosion in Beirut.
