Two views of the statue of the Virgin Mary which rises on a hilltop above the coastline of Lebanon, called "Our Lady of Lebanon" (link). The statue is located at the Shrine of Harissa. The shrine is visited daily by hundreds of Lebanese, Christians and Muslims alike. Thus, Mary is for many a true force [...]
“Lebanon now is suffering.” —Pope Francis on the papal plane on November 6, 2022, as he returned from his November 3-6 trip to Bahrain (link) “Dear Lebanese friends, I greatly desire to visit you and I continue to pray for you, so that Lebanon will once more be a message of peace and fraternity for [...]
Lebanon Update “Lebanon’s Christians fought hard and for the most part successfully throughout their own challenging history, and at a great price in terms of blood and resources, to preserve what they could of their freedoms. The greatest service they could render to the rest of the region’s beleaguered Christians would be for them to [...]
Statue of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, Lebanon. This shrine, a pilgrimage destination for Christians and Muslims alike, could become a place from which a new vision for a peaceful and prosperous Lebanon could emerge. The statue was brought from France in 1908. The cloud from the August 4, 2020 explosion in [...]
Statue of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, Lebanon. This shrine, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is visited by many Maronite Catholics and by many Orthodox, but it is also visited by many Muslims of good will who have a devotion to the Blessed Mother. It could become a place from which a new vision [...]
Lebanon Update #2, 2021, August 3: A Path Forward "The Lebanon financial and economic crisis is likely to rank in the top 10, possibly top three, most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century." —Conclusion of the Lebanon Economic Monitor, Spring 2021, "Lebanon Sinking (to the Top 3)," a publication of The World Bank "The [...]
Letter #57, Friday, July 16, 2021: Lebanon: Looking for Hope "May God protect Lebanon." -- Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, after resigning yesterday at the Baabda presidential palace in Lebanon Another Setback as Lebanese Prime Minister Resigns By Christopher Hart-Moynihan Hopes for a speedy resolution to the political and economic crisis in Lebanon took another [...]
Letter #44, Thursday, July 1, 2021: Lebanon in Vatican #2 "Let us recognize that there is no other way to come to the dawn than by passing through the night. And in the night of crisis, all of us need to remain united." --Pope Francis in his address today after meeting with the Christian leaders of [...]
Friends of Lebanon A Project of Unitas Shining the "light of hope" June 30, 2021 Tomorrow, July 1, a summit will take place in Rome between Pope Francis and key religious leaders of Lebanon. The pope will host the Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, the Syro-Catholic patriarch, Ignace Youssif III Younan, the Chaldean bishop [...]
Above, the moment of the terrible explosion on the evening of Tuesday, August 4, 2020, in Beirut, Lebanon. The massive explosion unleashed a terrific shock wave that traveled outward for 6 miles, knocking out windows, killing more than 150, and wounding thousands. Above, two different views of the explosion, one a close-up, and one from [...]
