Pope Francis Meets Relatives of People who Died During 2020 Beirut Port Explosion

Pope Francis met Monday with a delegation of relatives of the victims of the explosion in the port of Beirut that left over 200 dead on August 4, 2020.

The Holy Father said he felt “the pain of still seeing so many innocent people die every day because of the war in your region."

On August 4, 2020, hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a Beirut Port warehouse.

The gigantic blast tore through the Lebanese capital, killing at least 218 people, according to an AP count, wounded more than 6,000 others, and devastated large swaths of Beirut, causing billions of dollars in damage.

“I implore from heaven the peace that men struggle to build on earth,” he said, adding that “Lebanon is and must remain a project of peace.”