Pope Francis sends a donation to Beirut for recovery

Pope Francis sent a donation of 250.000 euros ($ 295.488) in aid to the Church in Lebanon to help with recovery efforts after the devastating explosion in the Beirut capital earlier this week.

"This donation is intended as a sign of His Holiness's attention and closeness to the affected population and of his paternal closeness to people in serious difficulty," he declared on August 7 in a Vatican press release.

More than 137 people were killed and thousands were injured in an explosion near the port of Beirut on 4 August. The blast caused extensive damage to the city and razed buildings near the port. Beirut governor Marwan Abboud said around 300.000 people were temporarily homeless.

Church leaders have warned that the city and nation are on the brink of total collapse and have asked the international community for help.

Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Eparchy of St. Maron in Brooklyn and Bishop Elias Zeidan of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in Los Angeles described Beirut as an "apocalyptic city" in a joint request for assistance Wednesday.

"This country is on the verge of a failed state and total collapse," they said. "We pray for Lebanon and ask for your support for our brothers and sisters in this difficult time and in response to the catastrophe".

Pope Francis' donation, made through the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, will go to the apostolic nunciature in Beirut "to meet the needs of the Lebanese Church in these moments of difficulty and suffering," according to the Vatican.

The blast destroyed "buildings, churches, monasteries, facilities and basic sanitation", the statement continues. "An immediate emergency and first aid response is already underway with medical care, shelters for displaced persons and emergency centers made available by the Church through Caritas Lebanon, Caritas Internationalis and various organizations of Caritas nuns".

Lebanese officials say the explosion appears to have been caused by the detonation of more than 2.700 tons of chemical ammonium nitrate, commonly used in fertilizers and mining explosives, stored in an unguarded warehouse on the docks for six years.

Pope Francis has launched an appeal for prayer for the Lebanese people after the speech of the general audience on 5 August.

Speaking live on stream, he said: “we pray for the victims, for their families; and we pray for Lebanon, so that, through the dedication of all its social, political and religious elements, it can face this extremely tragic and painful moment and, with the help of the international community, overcome the serious crisis they are experiencing ".