Pope's prayers renew hopes for justice for Beirut port blast victims

Five years after losing her daughter in a devastating chemical explosion at Beirut's port, Nelly El Helou said Pope Leo's silent prayer at the site on Tuesday was enough to renew hopes that those responsible for the blast would be held to account.

The blast, on August 4, 2020, killed more than 220 people and shredded swathes of the Lebanese capital, but a probe into which officials knew about hundreds of tonnes of explosive ammonium nitrate at the port has been stymied by political interference.

Leo recited a silent prayer at the site on Tuesday, the last day of his first overseas trip as pontiff. He laid a wreath of flowers and lit a candle at a memorial there before greeting survivors of the blast and tearful relatives of its victims.

Some bowed and kissed his hand, pointing to the pictures of their lost loved ones.

Helou said Leo's visit sent a message "that we are not abandoned, we are not alone".

"He came to tell us not to drown in our despair, to rise from our sorrow... but resurrection doesn't happen without accountability. They must be held accountable for their crime," she told Reuters, holding a picture of her daughter, Nicole.

'ALL WE ASK FOR IS JUSTICE'

Families of the victims and rights groups in Lebanon have demanded that Lebanon's judiciary issue a preliminary indictment establishing the full chain of responsibility for the blast, thought to have been set off by a fire near the chemicals.

Tatiana Hasrouty, a 25-year-old lawyer whose father Ghassan was killed in the explosion, said Leo's visit showed "that he sees our pain, and he's here to give us hope" after five years with little engagement from the government on their cause.

Many cried as Leo gave them rosaries in pouches bearing his coat of arms. Melvine Khoury, wounded in the blast, asked if she could hug him. Leo agreed, and they embraced.

Cecile Roukoz, whose brother Joseph worked at the port and was also killed, said Leo's "silent prayer is enough for us".

"The Pope is known for his deep love of justice, and his message was clear: the politicians in the country must be close to the people and ensure justice. All we ask for in this case is justice — justice for the victims who fell here," she said.

In his farewell remarks before leaving Lebanon, Leo said he was deeply moved by the encounter.

"I pray for all the victims, and I carry with me the pain and the thirst for truth and justice of so many families, of an entire country," he said.