His Eminence Archbishop Shahe Panossian:

The Armenians of the World Rushed to Help their Communities in Lebanon

The restoration and rehabilitation committee taking care of the August 4 explosion destruction completed its duties with success

This interview is also available in Arabic.

On the first commemoration of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches published a special issue of its quarterly magazine “Al Muntada” in August 2021, entitled "Beirut, in the Heart of the Church, Beirut, a City of Resurrection". The issue includes an exclusive interview with His Eminence Archbishop Shahe Panossian, Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Lebanon. It focuses on the humanitarian and material damages caused to the Armenian Church in Beirut, and on its role in helping its affected children and healing their wounds on many levels.

The Beirut port explosion damaged a big part of Armenian residences in Beirut. The Armenian Orthodox Church played a big role in rehabilitating what was destroyed during what we may call the biggest crime against Lebanon. His Eminence Archbishop Shahe Panossian, Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Lebanon explains how the Church stood by its children.

A few days after the tragedy that burdened Beirut, Archbishop Panossian says: “A committee was started with the blessing of the Holy Catholicos Aram the First of the Armenian house of Cilicia. The committee included representatives of all three Armenian communities, political parties, and Armenian charitable and social institutions. The goal was to rehabilitate Armenian houses and properties in Lebanon.”

Panossian continued: “the committee started by examining and surveying the damaged sites, especially Armenian houses and stores, in Beirut and Metn. Secondly, they requested the targeted Armenians to visit centers to drop off documents and papers that prove the losses and damages they suffered from due to the explosion. We got 3,000 house application, 1,500 stores, 15 churches, 11 school, 15 clubs, 5 charitable institution, and 10 religious centers.”

It wasn’t hard for the Armenian Orthodox Church to determine the number of the affected Armenians in its parishes in Beirut. Everyone there acts like they are one family, they celebrate and mourn together… After receiving the applications, a group of engineers and specialists scanned the affected sites and surveyed losses and damages, then offered a two-steps monetary donation to 1496 affected families. Parents of martyrs, 14 families, also received monetary compensations. Specialists started rehabilitating churches in September 2020.

On the first of December, the committee issues a report calling all those affected by the blast who didn’t benefit from the first two steps to present the documents proving they were victims of the explosion, but those refunds got delayed because of the Coronavirus and lockdown.

After one year, the initiative was complete, Panossian explained: “on Friday July 23, 2021, after concluding all the tasks with devotion and responsibility with the last donations distributed to 455 Armenian families, we ended the program. Monetary donations were distributed in LBP while taking into consideration the market dollar rate.”

He added: “We thank everyone who participated in this humanitarian duty, whether financially or morally, or through volunteering their work and effort in the biggest initiative we’ve worked on so far. The call for help the catholicos sent to Armenians all around the world was met with positive responses as Armenians rushed to help their Armenian brothers and sisters in Lebanon already struggling with bad political, economic, and health conditions.”

The bishop finally concluded: “This initiative led to the participation of everyone whether as individuals or entities (Armenian financial and charitable companies and organizations around the world), especially Artsakh Republic, therefore it gives hope and appreciation to the nobility, humanitarianism, and consciousness that distinguishes the Armenian community all over the world, due to the solidarity, will, and love that bring them together.”

“We raise our prayers to the Lord, hoping for this to be the last of the Lebanese crises, and that Lebanon would be once again peaceful, safe, and stable.”

Communication and Public Relations Department