"More EU assistance is needed to rebuild Lebanon. Faith-based charities play a crucial role in the relief activities after the devastating Beirut explosion", said György Hölvényi MEP today at an
EPP Group webinar on the situation in Lebanon following the Beirut port explosion on 4 August 2020.
The EPP Group Working Group on Intercultural and Religious Dialogue debated with Ambassador Ralph Tarraf, Head of the EU Delegation to Lebanon, and Michel Abs, the new Secretary-General of the Middle East Council of Churches, on how the EU is helping Lebanon in coping with the complex crisis and how the different Christian communities are attempting to tackle the many problems.
Hölvényi, who is co-chair of the working group, highlighted: “Lebanon was already in an extreme social and economic crisis when the country went through one the toughest disasters of its history. Right from the morning after the explosion, I got in touch with the local Caritas to explore ways to prompt European assistance. From my previous fact-finding missions to Lebanon, I knew that faith-based actors possess the most significant capacities to react and help in these unprecedented situations. We are glad that some European countries already cooperate with faith-based charities."
"With today's event, we wish to raise awareness about the need for ongoing assistance in order to prevent the total social collapse of Lebanon”, concluded Hölvényi.
Photo by Derzsi Elekes Andor, Wikimedia commons.