Tomorrow, Thursday, 1 July 2021, the CNEWA family will join with Pope Francis and the leaders of all the churches in Lebanon in a period of prayer and reflection in commemoration of the explosion that decimated the port of Beirut, and much of the city, on 4 August 2020.
The occasion coincides with a gathering at the Vatican of the Holy Father and Lebanese Christian leaders who will offer prayers and reflections for the country, still reeling from the snowball effects of the explosion, which left scores dead, hundreds of thousands homeless and devastated houses, businesses, schools, convents and churches.
Last Friday, 25 June, the Holy See hosted a press conference to announce the schedule of events. The speakers included Cardinal Leonardi Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, secretary for Relations with the States, and Bishop Brian Farrell, L.C., secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
Evoking the words of the Lebanese writer Khalil Gibran, Cardinal Sandri captured the hope for the meeting: “Beyond the black curtain of night there is a new dawn waiting for us.”
Please join us, especially the members of our team in Beirut who are on the front lines of the humanitarian response, in a period of prayerful solidarity and reflection with our Holy Father — prayer moves mountains! Learn how you can help CNEWA as it responds to this crisis.