Mor Elias Aude on upcoming Beirut Port explosion anniversary: “many in this country turn a blind eye to truth and justice”

BEIRUT — As Lebanon approaches the fifth anniversary of the devastating Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020, the country remains far from achieving justice. Despite renewed efforts, the investigation has been repeatedly obstructed by powerful Lebanese factions, with Judge Tarek Bitar facing multiple suspensions before ultimately resuming the case. 

On Sunday, Mor Elias Aude, Greek (Rûm) Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut, used his sermon at St. George Church to remind the faithful of the approaching commemoration. “Beloved,” he said, “in a few days, we mark the fifth anniversary of the heinous explosion that struck our beloved city, Beirut — the capital of a country called to life.” The archbishop delivered a sharp rebuke of Lebanon’s political class, accusing many officials of deliberately obstructing the pursuit of truth and accountability. “Yet many in this country turn a blind eye to truth and justice, remaining silent out of fear, cowardice, collusion, or self-interest,” he said. 

Related: Christian Front calls for international inquiry on 4th anniversary of Beirut port explosion

Mor Elias Aude extended his condemnation beyond Lebanon, decrying the silence of global leaders in the face of ongoing wars and humanitarian crises across the Middle East. “Our region is drowning in blood and tears while the world remains blind — blind to the deaths of children, blind to the suffering of the innocent. The world is steeped in evil and sin, estranged from God,” he declared. 

“Is it permissible to starve people, displace them, or kill them? What has blinded the consciences of world leaders, and silenced their voices as atrocities unfold in the land of Christ — and throughout this entire region? Is it not their distance from God and their obsession with self-interest?”

The 2020 explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in modern history, killed more than 190 people and injured over 4,000. It remains a national trauma, compounded by years of stalled investigations and systematic obstruction by influential political actors.