Father Youil Nassif left St. Dimitrios church with his children on Tuesday only 12 minutes before the Beirut port explosion flattened a large area of the Lebanese capital, killing at least 171 people and making hundreds of thousands homeless in an instant.

After Nassif took his children to safety, he was shocked upon his return to find that his Greek Orthodox church had been wrecked in the blast.
Walking through shattered glass and tossed pews, Nassif entered the altar area where he was surprised yet again.

"When I entered the altar, I was surprised the altar was untouched," said Nassif, "The Holy Chalice was intact. You can see the Holy Bible; you can see the oil lamp that didn't move. You can see the relics of the saints....even the glass was not broken."

Nassif took the sparing of his altar as a sign from God.

"In times of crisis, we search for signs and we search for a light in the darkness," said Nassif.

The priest added that people in Lebanon often seek refuge in the church because of the lack of leadership they find in their government.

"All our problems they come from our government, that's why the church is essential in our life. To everyone who is listening to this video here in Lebanon or abroad, we just need prayers," said Nassif.

MORE: https://globalnews.ca/news/7262714/beirut-explosion-lebanon-cabinet-resigns/

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