Pope's prayers renew hopes for justice for Beirut port blast victims |
By Emilie Madi
BEIRUT, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Five years after losing her daughter in a devastating chemical explosion at Beirut's port, Nelly El Helou said Pope Leo's silent prayer at the site on Tuesday was enough to renew hopes that those responsible for the blast would be held to account.
The blast, on August 4, 2020, killed more than 220 people and shredded swathes of the Lebanese capital, but a probe into which officials knew about hundreds of tonnes of explosive ammonium nitrate at the port has been stymied by political interference.
Leo recited a silent prayer at the site on Tuesday, the last day of his first overseas trip as pontiff. He........