His Holiness Pope Tawadros II sends Humanitarian aid, via Egyptian military aircrafts

In a gesture of love and solidarity and as an expression of brotherhood between the Egyptian and Lebanese citizens, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria answered the MECC Beirut appeal in response to the Port Explosion, which occurred on the 4th of August, by relieving the devastated Beirut and its afflicted people. This first contribution was a shipment of food aid and medicines transferred to Beirut airport on board two military aircrafts that arrived through a military airlift by the order of Egyptian President Mohamed Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to send aid from Egypt to Beirut.

Support to the devastated city of Beirut and to its distressed people

Christ is risen indeed He is risen! For two thousand years, Christians in the Middle East have been continuously proclaiming Christ’s Resurrection to express at the same time their faith and their confrontation with death, the greatest threat to humanity and creation. Due to its religious, cultural and commercial vivacity and its presence in the heart of the ancient world, their region did not really witness true peace except for intermittent periods. In fact, it was in most cases, a crossroad, a meeting place and starting point on the one hand, and an arena for conflicts and confrontations on the other. Due to raging conflicts and wars, for more than half a century, the Middle East has tremendously suffered violence, extremism and killing, uprooting its inhabitants from their lands and displacing them, tampering with their fate, and undermining human dignity.

Après l’explosion du Port de Beyrouth qui a décimé cette capitale, le Conseil des Églises du Moyen-Orient a lancé un appel en réponse à cette catastrophe, et a été partagé sur le site web “Vatican News”.

After the catastrophic explosion that hit the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on August 4, 2020, causing massive destruction and devastating this city, the MECC issued an appeal in response to the disaster. The World Council of Churches shared it on its platform.

On the 4th of August 2020, a catastrophic and cataclysmic chemical blast at the Port of Beirut made the whole world sit still, as apocalyptic images surfaced all over international and local media outlets. More than 171 people lost their lives, some were obliterated and others were buried under the heaps of concrete and debris. 6000 people were injured and thousands of buildings were damaged or laid to waste. In addition, to the crumbling economy and the worsening COVID-19 situation, things took to the worse, as around 300,000 Lebanese and foreigners residing in Beirut, lost their homes, livelihoods, and of course, their mental health.

Amid the political, economic and health crises facing Lebanon, Beirut was devastated by a terrible explosion that hit the port of Beirut, turning the capital into an afflicted city in a split second, exactly at 6:07 pm on Tuesday August 4, 2020. It is a disaster that affected a huge number of innocent civilians and left thousands injured, hundreds dead, and dozens of people missing. The explosion also resulted in massive damage and heavy losses to public and private property, including buildings, cars, institutions and vital facilities. Moreover, churches and their affiliated institutions were unfortunately deeply affected by the massive destruction.

“O God, who will roll away the stone from the hearts of wounded Beirut and its affected citizens”

On August 4, at around 6:00pm, a warehouse at the Beirut Port containing large quantities of ammonium nitrate exploded. After an initial explosion, a subsequent blast caused widespread damage, with reports of damage more than 20 km from the port area. Hundreds of buildings including grain silos storing around 85 percent of the country’s grain, and numerous residential places have also been damaged or completely destroyed.

After the catastrophic explosion that hit the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on August 4, 2020, causing massive destruction and devastating this city that has always been full of life, the Middle East Council of Churches’ regional offices in Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, in addition to several international organizations, expressed their sympathy and solidarity with the Lebanese people through letters of condolence addressed to the General Secretariat of the council at its headquarters in Beirut.

After the Beirut explosion that devastated the capital, many regional organizations have expressed their compassion and solidarity with the Lebanese people, sending condolence messages to the MECC General Secretariat at its HQ in Beirut.

In the wake of a tragic explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, the World Council of Churches (WCC) sent condolences and called for prayers for those who lost loves ones, for the injured, and for the ongoing work of the rescue teams. In a letter addressed to the member churches in Lebanon and the Middle East Council of Churches, WCC interim general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed deep compassion and solidarity on behalf of the global fellowship.

Dear Secretary General Dr Bechealany,

We stand in fraternal solidarity with the people of Beirut in the aftermath of the devastating explosions that hit the city yesterday and caused so many victims and extensive damage. This terrible incident is an additional challenge in a sensitive time of already deep crisis.