Bishop Stika reflects on personal, spiritual connection following Beirut explosion
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August 7, 2020
Bishop Richard F. Stika joins with all bishops of the United States in a stand of solidarity with the people of Lebanon following the devastating explosion in Beirut this week that killed more than one hundred people and injured thousands more. The tragedy is even more personal for Bishop Stika, who possesses bi-ritual faculties of the Maronite Church, an Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church, which is prominent in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries. “Cardinal Justin Rigali and I were in Lebanon for ten days in 2000. It is a beautiful country that has suffered in many ways,” Bishop Stika said. “The images of the explosion and its devastation are almost hard to comprehend. I pray for the victims and for the recovery of those people who were injured and those who have lost so much. My thoughts are also with the Maronite clergy who are so vital to Catholic spiritual life and who are leading the recovery efforts in those communities.”