Pope Leo XIV offered a silent prayer at the site of the 2020 Beirut port explosion as he is wrapping up his first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon on Tuesday.

He will also meet with relatives of some of the 218 victims of the Aug. 4, 2020 blast. The explosion tore through Beirut and did billions of dollars in damage after hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse.

No official has been convicted in a judicial investigation that has been repeatedly obstructed, angering Lebanese for whom the blast was just the latest crisis after decades of corruption and financial crimes. When he arrived in Lebanon on Sunday, Leo urged the country’s political leaders to pursue the truth as a means of peace and reconciliation in the country.

Leo sought to bring a message of peace to L

See Full Page