Pope Francis on Monday said "Lebanon
is, and must remain, a project of peace" during a meeting at the
Vatican with the families of victims of the explosion at the
port of Beirut on August 4, 2020.
The pontiff prayed for "the peace that mankind has a hard time
building on earth".
"Let's not forget what a pope has said: 'Lebanon is a message,
and this message is a project for peace'.
Lebanon's vocation, the pontiff went on to say, "is to be a land
where different communities cohabit prioritizing the common good
to particular advantages, where different religions and
confessions meet in fraternity".
"Like you, I feel the pain of seeing again, each day, so many
innocents die due to war in your region, in Palestine and in
Israel, and Lebanon is paying a high price.
Quoting his third encyclical All Brothers, the pontiff said
"each war leaves the world in a worst state than before.
"War is always a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful
surrender, a defeat in the face of all forces of evil", the pope
said, as Israel and the Hezbollah militant group are launching
exchanges of fire after months of strikes and counter-strikes.
The pope went on to recall that "four years have gone by" since
the Beirut blast and "the Lebanese people, and first of all you,
have the right to words and facts that show responsibility and
transparency".
"With you, I call for truth and justice, which has not arrived",
noted the pontiff.
On August 4, 2020, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate exploded
in a warehouse at Beirut's port, killing at least 218 people,
and wounding more than 6,000 others.
So far, nobody has been held responsible for the incident.
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