Pope Leo wraps up his visit to Lebanon with prayers at the site of Beirut's port blast

"The pope said prayers at the site of the blast, which ripped through Beirut's downtown district five years ago after a warehouse full of ammonium nitrate exploded a devastating event attributed to negligence and government dysfunction. No senior official has been convicted in the attack, which caused billions of dollars of damage to an already collapsed economy. The pope lit a candle in front of a memorial engraved with the names of more than 200 people killed in the explosion."

"The pope referred to the blast in his homily at Mass, calling for Lebanon to be a place for justice. He said it was natural to feel paralyzed "by powerlessness in the face of evil and oppressed by so many difficult situations." He called for the country to be a place "where peace and justice reign." "Lebanon stand up! Be a home of justice and fraternity!" he said, urging it to be a "prophetic sign" of peace for the region."

Pope Leo XIV concluded his first overseas papal trip in Beirut with prayers at the port and a Mass attended by about 150,000 worshippers. He prayed at the site of the ammonium nitrate explosion that devastated downtown five years earlier, lit a candle at a memorial naming more than 200 victims, and met relatives of the dead. He called for Lebanon to pursue justice, peace and fraternity, acknowledged feelings of powerlessness, and urged the country to "stand up." United Nations peacekeepers attended the waterfront Mass. He cited ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon and said some areas remained inaccessible because of fighting.

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