Pope Leo Offers Silent Prayer at Beirut Port Blast Site

Pope Leo XIV offered a silent prayer at the ruins of the 2020 Beirut port explosion on Tuesday, closing his trip to Lebanon with a gesture honoring the victims of one of the country’s most searing national tragedies.

The pontiff met with relatives of some of the 218 people killed in the August 4, 2020 blast, which tore through the capital after hundreds of tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse.

As Pope Leo arrived at the port, families of the victims stood silently holding photographs of their loved ones in front of the twisted remains of the last grain silo still standing at the site.