On behalf of all Bishops of the European Union, H.Em. Card. Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, President of COMECE, reacted to the deadly explosion occurred yesterday, Tuesday 4 August 2020, in the port of the capital city of Lebanon. Read the full statement.
Results of the large explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo: Ali Chehade/Shutterstock)
“I share the shock and the sadness of the people of Beirut following the horrific and deadly explosions that occurred yesterday, Tuesday 4 August 2020, in the port of the capital city of Lebanon.
I would like to express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to all those who have lost loved ones – friends, neighbours, colleagues. We raise our prayers for the souls of the deceased and for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The Catholic Church in the EU stands with Lebanese people, including the many refugees who escaped violence and were welcomed in fraternity by this small but generous country with a key role for peace in the entire Middle Eastern region.
We share Pope Francis’ words and pray for Lebanon ‘so that through the dedication of all its social, political and religious elements, it might face this extremely tragic and painful moment’.
COMECE expresses appreciation for the immediate assistance and humanitarian mechanisms activated by the EU in support to the Lebanese authorities, as recently stated by Janez Lenarčič, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management.
We invite the EU to continue working side by side with the government and people of Lebanon, including local religious communities, in this dramatic historical moment, also marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, a heavy economic crisis and serious regional instability”.