Pope's Message For Lebanon To Rise: Stop Conflict, Strengthen Cooperation

Pope Francis (Ashwin Vaswani / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The great leader of Catholics, Pope Francis invited the Lebanese to rise up and cooperate immediately after the big explosion. By working together, the Lebanese can give birth to a new spirit to rise.

Pope Francis conveyed this in his weekly address in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican on Sunday, August 9. The Pope invited all components in Lebanon to get rid of the conflict that had been flaring up in Lebanon so far.

It is known that a number of groups in Lebanon today were involved in the revolt that overthrew the country's leaders. "Last Tuesday's disaster called everyone, starting with the Lebanese people, to work together for the common good of this beloved country," he said.

The Pope said he could feel the panic and fragility experienced by the Lebanese as a result of the explosion. Pope Francis has also sent a donation of 250 thousand euros, or around Rp.4.3 billion.

"But I pray that with God's help and the sincere participation of all people, the spirit of the Lebanese people can be reborn freely and strong."

Let us again pray for #Lebanon: after the catastrophe, for its particular identity, fruit of the encounter of different cultures, that with God's help and everyone's genuine participation, it may be reborn free and strong.

- Pope Francis (@Pontifex) August 9, 2020

As is well known, politics in Lebanon is prone to fragmentation due to foreign interference which has triggered a domestic crisis. One of them is the Iran-backed Hezbollah group - a close ally of Syria - in Lebanon. They have fought several wars with Israel so that Hezbollah has been labeled a terrorist group by the United States (US).

Based on the latest data on Monday, August 10 at 10:00 WIB, 158 people were declared dead. Meanwhile, thousands of others were injured. The explosion, located in the port area, rocked the entire capital, damaged buildings and spread panic among the Lebanese.