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.

BEIRUT -- A year after the catastrophic Beirut port blast, the wounds of the people in Lebanon are scarred by the memory of the tragedy, and cries for justice escalate. This year, Aug. 4 was declared a national day of mourning in Lebanon.

VATICAN CITY -- A young priest ordained only six months ago was among the casualties of an explosion at a parish center in Madrid.

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."

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.”

VATICAN CITY -- After a massive fire triggered a deadly explosion in Beirut, Pope Francis called for prayers and a united effort to help Lebanon overcome "this serious crisis." 

AMMAN, Jordan -- Hospitals in the Lebanese capital are overwhelmed with those suffering injuries from a massive explosion in Beirut's port, causing widespread damage the city and rocking the tiny Mediterranean nation already devastated by the coronavirus and its worst financial crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

LONDON - Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster described the attempted bombing of a rush hour Tube train in London as "yet another cowardly attack" and said he was praying for the 22 people being treated for burns and other injuries.

HONG KONG - The morning after the industrial blast in Tianjin, China, the Tianjin Diocesan Social Service Center helped line up 60 volunteers to assist the government's rescue and relief work. The volunteers donated drinking water, clothes and other supplies to hospitals and temporary settlements for evacuees, reported ucanews.com.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces has asked pastors, deacons and parish leaders in the diocese "to exercise increased vigilance in our parish surroundings and activities."

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis sent "heartfelt condolences" to the citizens of Ghana after at least 150 people were killed in a gas explosion in the country's capital, Accra.

WEST, Texas - Emergency personnel were carefully combing through blocks of wreckage in this town of 2,900 a day after a chemical fertilizer factory caught fire and exploded with the force of a small earthquake April 17, injuring perhaps hundreds and killing others.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis called for prayers for the victims of a deadly explosion in Texas.