His Holiness Karekin II conveyed the sympathy of the Armenian Church to the people of Lebanon following the terrible explosion that destroyed parts of Beirut on August 4.
The Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians had a telephone conversation with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, to offer his support to country’s Armenian community and to the Catholicate in Antelias. At this writing several Armenians have been confirmed as casualties in the explosion.
Among the buildings damaged in the blast, according to press reports, were Armenian institutions like the Tekeyan School and Cultural Center, the AGBU Demirjian Center, and church administrative buildings in Bourj Hammoud and Antelias.
In letters to Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, and to the Lebanese State Council, Catholicos Karekin II conveyed consolation to the grieving nation and the families of those lost in the explosion. “We pray that the God-loving people of Lebanon will overcome this trial and resume their lives in peace and creativity,” he said.
The shocking explosions that rocked downtown Beirut on August 4 flattened much of the port, and cause a terrifying mushroom cloud to rise above the capital. An early account by Lebanon’s health minister cited at least 100 deaths and over 4,000 injured. Some 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes.
Above: Supreme Patriarch Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Karekin II (right) and Catholicos of Cilicia His Holiness Aram I (left) during a 2016 gathering in Artsakh.