Wednesday marks one year since the massive explosion at the port of Beirut, in Lebanon, which claimed 210 lives and injured thousands of people.
One of the many buildings damaged in the blast was the Orthodox hospital of St. George as well as to cathedrals belonging to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Beirut.
In his message on the occasion of the somber anniversary, the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Beatitude John X, referred to a tragic event, when the hearts of all were devastated from the tragedy at the port of Beirut. He added that this catastrophe gravely impacted on Lebanon and claimed many of our loved ones.