The aroma of caramelized onions, cumin and baked fish still lingers as volunteers busily fill hundreds of containers of meals for the poor.

With a presidential vacuum in Lebanon, the country’s Catholic religious leaders urged parliament “to elect a president immediately.”

The capsizing of a small boat overloaded with passengers trying to illegally leave Lebanon is "the biggest proof of the terrible crisis" that the country is enduring as it continues to sink economically, said Carmelite Father Michel Abboud, president of Caritas Lebanon.

BEIRUT -- For 1,600 Maronite Catholic children in crisis-stricken Lebanon, Advent has awakened a ray of hope.

VATICAN CITY -- Marking the one-year anniversary of a deadly explosion in Beirut, Pope Francis said Lebanon needs concrete help — not just words — from the international community so it can emerge once again as a symbol of fraternity and peace for the Middle East.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he wants Canadian aid to Lebanon to reach ordinary Lebanese on the streets of Beirut, but that’s not what’s happening, says Ruby Dagher.

RYE, N.Y. -- Amid the turmoil of a global pandemic coupled with a devastating August explosion that destroyed Beirut’s port while killing 200, injuring 6,000 more, Lebanon is facing “an existential danger” it has never experienced before, said Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai.

Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Rai wants a revolution in Lebanon, but not too much revolution.

BEIRUT -- Sister Marie Justine el Osta had just begun a spiritual retreat in a mountain convent 27 miles north of Beirut. Even in that remote location, the blast that rocked Lebanon's capital Aug. 4 could be felt, like an earthquake.

BEIRUT -- Bringing a message of hope to Lebanon, a month after a double blast struck Beirut, Pope Francis' closest collaborator assured the Lebanese: "You are not alone. The whole world supports you."

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has asked Catholics and all people of goodwill to observe Sept. 4 as a day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon.

OTTAWA -- Canadians and the Catholic Church in Canada have always been there for the people of Lebanon in times of need, says the Montreal-based Maronite Catholic Bishop Paul-Marwan Tabet.

AMMAN, Jordan -- Viewing the burned wasteland of the Beirut port, one’s eye catches a grey concrete slab in the foreground. It bears this stark message scribbled by the Lebanese in black ink: “My Government Did This.”

AMMAN, Jordan -- Lebanon's Christian authorities have accused political leaders of plunging the nation into economic ruin and potential famine as the tiny Mediterranean country faces it worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

BEIRUT -- In a clinic adjoining a Catholic church, Samira Roncaglia cheerfully welcomed the young couple with their newborn, guiding them to the pediatrician.