Vatican City, Jun 22, 2021 / 13:00 pm
A Lebanese priest has given Pope Francis a crucifix made from wood salvaged after the devastating explosion in Beirut last summer, ahead of the pope’s Lebanon meeting on July 1.
The pope received Fr. Pierre Najm, the newly appointed head of the Mariamite Maronite Order, in a private audience at the Apostolic Palace.
During the meeting, the priest gave Pope Francis the crucifix, which was made by the young Lebanese artist Mario Khoury from wood retrieved following the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut’s port.
Khoury said that carving the crucifix took him nine hours. He used a piece of wood given to him by the Maronite archdiocese of Beirut.