Pope Leo XIV prayed Tuesday at the site of a deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion that has become a symbol of Lebanon’s dysfunction and official impunity as he offered words of consolation to Lebanon’s people on the final day of his first overseas trip.

Relatives of some of the 218 people killed by the blast held up photos of their loved ones as Leo arrived at the scorched site.

They then stood side-by-side as he greeted each one in a line: Leo grasped their hands, spoke to each one and looked at the photos.

The emotional encounter took place next to the shell of the last grain silo standing at the site destroyed by the Aug. 4, 2020 blast and the piles of burned cars torched in its wake.

The explosion did billions of dollars in damage as hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a

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