The papal ambassador to Lebanon Gabriele Caccia, the archbishop of the Maronite diocese of Beirut Paul Matar and a delegation from the Message of Life Association headed by Father Wissam Maalouf visited the wounded of the two Burj Al-Barajneh bombings at Bahman Hospital and Al-Rasoul Al-Aazam Hospital. At Bahman Hospital they were received by the director general of Al-Mabarrat Charitable Association Dr Mohammad Baqir Fadlallah, the director of the medical staff at the hospital Dr Hassan Nassar, the media adviser to Allama Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, Hani Abdallah, the director of media at Al-Mabarrat Farouk Rizk, and doctors and nurses.
In a speech, the papal ambassador to Lebanon Gabriele Caccia affirmed that “God is close to all the people who suffer tragedies and pains in Beirut, in Paris, in Africa and in Syria, and that we have come today to express our friendship and our brotherhood towards the people injured in the Beirut explosion”.
He added: “God loves forgiveness, and He is greater than our feeling of a desire for revenge”, conveying the greetings of Pope Francis to the injured and thanking the hospital's administration and the people who helped the injured. Caccia explained that Pope Francis is close to all the oppressed and the needy in the world, pointing out that the Pope would make a visit to Africa so as to be near the tormented on the African continent, and that he is close to all people. He stressed that “Lebanon's message of pluralism must be preserved and that it must remain unharmed by all the crises”, hoping that Lebanon would continue on the right road.
For his part, the Maronite archbishop of Beirut Bishop Paul Matar welcomed the papal ambassador, expressing his happiness at accompanying him on his visit to the wounded.
Matar hoped “that God would reward the martyrs and have mercy on them, console the wounded, comfort the families and grant us patience so that we may convey the message of love and peace despite everything happening around us”. He called for living in peace “and for listening to everything God inspires in us”, stressing that “what is happening among us is happening between brothers, and therefore the violence must stop and love must prevail among everyone”.
For his part, the official of the “Message of Life” community Father Wissam Maalouf held that “every time evil increases, the motive is formed to redouble love and unity among the citizens”, expressing his unity with the wounded in these painful circumstances they have passed through.
Maalouf noted that “in the painful moments Beirut lived through, the hospitals were working under great pressure”, saluting the wounded “so that we may express our unity, for there is nothing stronger than the brotherhood between us”. He concluded by saying: “May God be with the wounded, and may God be with you all. We thank God, and this is a duty upon us, because the Holy Gospel says ‘I was sick and you visited me'.”
There was a speech by the director general of Al-Mabarrat Association Dr Mohammad Baqir Fadlallah, in which he pointed out that “this visit affirms solidarity and love and the rooting of the values of Islam and Christianity when hardships surround us on every side”. He added: “This dialogue is affirmed today between the components of the people, and we hope that this dialogue will be affirmed between all the political components in this homeland, so that we may emerge from all the crises we have been living for a long time.”
For his part, the director of the medical staff at Bahman Hospital Dr Hassan Nassar pointed out that “most of the wounded had grave injuries, given the type of explosives used, which consist of metal balls that penetrate the skin and tear it”.
