Pope to wrap up Lebanon visit with silent prayer at site of 2020 port explosion

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BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Pope Leo XIV was set to wrap up his visit to Lebanon on Tuesday with a visit to a hospital and later the site of a deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion that has become a symbol of Lebanon's dysfunction and scars.

Leo was also expected to meet with relatives of some of the 218 people killed by the blast, which tore through Beirut and did billions of dollars in damage after hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse.

Five years on, these families are still seeking justice. 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.

The American pope was to open his final day with a visit to the De La Croix hospital, which specializes in care for people with psychological problems. Awaiting him there were some familiar-looking faces: Young boys dressed up as Swiss Guards, cardinals and one even dressed as the pope himself in all white.

Leo is expected to close his visit with a Mass along the Beirut waterfront before returning to Rome.

Hours before he arrived, thousands of Lebanese poured into the waterfront site for the Mass, overjoyed that a pope had finally managed to visit. Pope Francis had tried for years to come but was stymied first by its economic and political crises, and then by his own health problems.

“For Lebanon, (the visit) means a lot," said pilgrim Maggie Claudine, who was waiting for Leo at the hospital. "We hope that peace will prevail, and that is what we wish for. We want to live in comfort.”

Leo sought to bring a message of peace to Lebanon as it copes with crises, the aftermath of Hezbollah's devastating war with Israel and the fallout from the port blast.

Among the family members of those killed who were scheduled to join the pope was Mireille Khoury, whose 15-year-old son, Elias, died.

Khoury said Lebanon cannot heal from its wounds without justice and accountability. She has been among the family and loved ones of some of the 218 people killed who have advocated to finalize the investigation that implicated a long list of political, security and judicial officials.

“Justice is the basis of building any country,” she told The Associated Press in an interview before the pope’s arrival. “Our children were killed in their homes. They were killed because someone kept (ammonium) nitrate in the main port of the city near a residential area.”

Khoury said the pope’s prayer and support would bring some relief, but said she would not give up on her pursuit for justice.

“I will not say that this anger will fully just disappear,” Khoury said. “But I think it will give some sort of relaxation of this anger that is in my heart until justice is served.”

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