Whenever a catastrophe befalls somewhere in the world, the first helpful reaction comes from His Holiness Pope Francis.
Whenever serious problems arise in any part of the world, the first positive response comes from His Holiness Pope Francis.
Pope Francis' reactions focus on doing whatever possible to help restore peace and stability to suffering nations. As Pope Francis prays frantically seeking the mercy of the Almighty God, he also dispatches financial and in-kind assistance that help alleviate the suffering of ailing nations.
In his General Audience on Wednesday, September 2, the Pope expressed his and the Church’s solidarity with the troubled nation, namely Lebanon. He also called for a day of prayer and fasting on Friday, September 4, for Lebanon, which beside the deadly explosion of August 4 in Beirut, it has been going through the worst economic and political crisis in its history.
POPE EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH LEBANON
The Pope never abandoned Lebanon. He said, he intends to send to Lebanon Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, as an expression of his closeness and solidarity with the people.
This noble attitude by the Pope follows is an expression of Lord Jesus' call for standing by the needy and those suffering, as mentioned in the Holy Bible.
Here are two outstanding quotes from Lord Jesus' teachings on why we must help the needy:
"Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh'." (Luke 6:20-21"
"He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on'." (Mark 12:41-44)
POPE'S THOUGHTS ARE WITH LEBANON
“One month after the tragedy that struck the city of Beirut, my thoughts are still with dear Lebanon and its particularly troubled population,” the Pope said.
Stressing that Lebanon cannot be abandoned in its solitude, the Pope added: “Lebanon, is a message of freedom, an example of pluralism for both East and West. For the very good of the country, but also for the world, we cannot allow this heritage to be lost,” he said alluding to the long-drawn crisis in the country."
Pope Francis encouraged “all Lebanese people to continue to hope and to find the necessary strength and energy to start again”. He particularly urged “politicians, religious leaders, to commit themselves with sincerity and transparency in the work of reconstruction, setting aside partisan interests and looking to the common good and the future of the nation”.
POPE SENDS AID TO LEBANON
In a gesture of solidarity with the people of Lebanon, Pope Francis donated 250,000 euro as initial aid to assist the Church in these moments of difficulty and suffering.
This donation was intended as a sign of the Pope's attention and closeness to the affected population and of his fatherly closeness to people in serious difficulty.
With Lebanon falling in the throes of economic turmoil after the national currency collapsed and consumer prices spiked, Pope Francis sent a significant money gift to fund scholarships for Lebanese school students. Press reports that the Pope donated $200,000 to support 400 scholarships."
Pope Francis' compassionate position on Lebanon is remarkable, and it is hoped that it will urge world countries to follow the same example by rushing to help extricate Lebanon from its current crisis.
Pope Francis, thank you very much.
