Lebanon Relief

Letter #102, 2021, Thursday, Sep.2: Lebanon Report #3

    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 [...]

Letter #85, 2021, Sunday, August 15: Lebanon in danger

    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

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 #3

    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

  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 [...]

Letter #43, June 30, 2021: Lebanon in Vatican

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 [...]

Pope calls for day of prayer, fasting in solidarity with Lebanon

Pope Francis appeals for Lebanon during the General Audience on September 2, 2020 (CNS photo/Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters) One month after a massive explosion at a fertilizer storage facility tore through Beirut and reopened Lebanon’s old wounds, Pope Francis expresses his and the Church’s solidarity with the troubled nation and calls for a worldwide [...]

Letter #21, Thursday, August 13, 2020: Become a friend of Lebanon

"Ah, let me cross over and see this good land beyond the Jordan, this fine hill country, and the Lebanon!" – Deuteronomy 3:25 Dear friends,     I am writing to invite you to join with several dozen other readers of this letter who have become "friends of Lebanon" by donating even a small amount — a [...]

Letter #20, Friday, August 7, 2020: Lament for Lebanon

    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 [...]

Become a “Friend of Lebanon”

The round circle of water marks the crater left by the explosion. The large building in the middle foreground was not demolished, and to a certain extent, protected the city to the right of that building from a shockwave. A powerful explosion and subsequent shock wave which spread more than six miles killed more [...]

Title