Cardinal Parolin in Lebanon: The Church, Pope Francis is with you after the Beirut explosion

Cardinal Pietro Parolin told Lebanese Catholics during a mass in Beirut on Thursday that Pope Francis is close to them and prays for them during their time of suffering.

"It is with great joy that I find myself today among you, in the blessed land of Lebanon, to express the closeness and solidarity of the Holy Father and, through him, of the whole Church", said the Vatican Secretary of State 3 September.

Parolin visited Beirut on 3-4 September as a representative of Pope Francis, a month after the city suffered a devastating explosion that killed nearly 200 people, injured thousands and left thousands homeless.

The pope asked that September 4 be a universal day of prayer and fasting for the country.

Cardinal Parolin celebrated mass for some 1.500 Maronite Catholics at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, an important pilgrimage site in the hills of Harissa, north of Beirut, on the evening of September 3.

"Lebanon has suffered too much and last year was the scene of several tragedies that hit the Lebanese people: the acute economic, social and political crisis that continues to shake the country, the coronavirus pandemic that has worsened the situation and, more recently, a month ago, the tragic explosion of the port of Beirut that ripped through the capital of Lebanon and caused terrible misery, ”Parolin said in his homily.

“But the Lebanese are not alone. We accompany them all spiritually, morally and materially “.

Parolin also met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, a Catholic, on the morning of 4 September.

Cardinal Parolin brought the president's greetings to Pope Francis and said the pope was praying for Lebanon, according to Archbishop Paul Sayah, who is in charge of external relations for the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch.

Parolin told President Aoun that Pope Francis "wants you to know that you are not alone in these difficult times that you are experiencing," Sayah told CNA.

The Secretary of State will conclude his visit with a meeting with the Maronite bishops, including Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, Maronite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, during the lunch on 4 September.

Speaking on the phone from Lebanon on the morning of September 4, Sayah said that the patriarchs have deep appreciation and gratitude to the Holy Father for his closeness "in such difficult times".

"I am sure that today [Patriarch Rai] will express these sentiments face to face to Cardinal Parolin," he noted.

Commenting on the August 4 explosion in Beirut, Sayah said it “is a huge disaster. The suffering of the people… and the destruction, and the winter is coming and the people will certainly not have the time to rebuild their homes ”.

Sayah added, however, that "one of the nice things about this experience is the influx of people who volunteer to help."

“Above all young people really flocked to Beirut by the thousands to help, and also the international community which was present offering assistance in various ways. It's a good sign of hope, ”he said.

Parolin also met with religious leaders in the Maronite Cathedral of St George in Beirut.

"We are still shocked by what happened a month ago," he said. "We pray that God will make us strong to take care of every person who has been affected and to carry out the task of rebuilding Beirut."

“When I got here, the temptation was to say that I would have liked to meet you in different circumstances. However I said "no"! The God of love and mercy is also the God of history and we believe that God wants us to carry out our mission of taking care of our brothers and sisters in this present time, with all its difficulties and challenges ”.

In his homily, delivered in French with Arabic translation, Parolin said that the Lebanese people can identify with Peter in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Saint Luke.

After fishing all night and catching nothing, Jesus asks Peter "to hope against all hope," observed the Secretary of State. "After objecting, Peter obeyed and said to the Lord: 'But at your word I will let go of the nets ... And after I did, he and his companions caught a great multitude of fish.'"

"It is the Word of the Lord that changed Peter's situation and it is the Word of the Lord that calls the Lebanese today to hope against all hope and to move forward with dignity and pride", encouraged Parolin.

He also said that "the Word of the Lord is addressed to the Lebanese through their faith, through Our Lady of Lebanon and through St. Charbel and all the saints of Lebanon".

Lebanon will be rebuilt not only materially, but also publicly, according to the secretary of state. "We have every hope that Lebanese society will rely more on rights, duties, transparency, collective responsibility and the service of the common good".

"The Lebanese will walk this path together," he said. "They will rebuild their country, with the help of friends and with a spirit of understanding, dialogue and coexistence that has always distinguished them".