The P. Salim Daccache, rector of USJ, expressed his solidarity with the affected families and encouraged their resilience. He did so by denouncing oblivion and asking to remember those who died. The P. Daccache said: “That day, the blood of martyrs of different ages, groups and families mixed, uniting the Lebanese and offering one blood on the altar of the homeland. Only a fool can refuse to admit the wrong committed against the innocent martyrs who have passed away, as well as the martyrs who live in their pain and disaster.”
Catherine Nasr el-Khoury, the first artist contacted by Christian Taoutel, shared the creative process that led to the creation of this stained glass window, underlining the symbolism of the restored pieces and their message of hope and remembrance through the flight of flowers, an element central to the composition. “It was the moment,” she said, “when we felt our heart, a part of us, explode into a thousand pieces. It took a long time, a lot of courage and all our faith in God to pick up these pieces, to make a new creation that would fill this great void within us.”
Finally, a representative of the families of the victims stated that this stained glass window not only represents the broken hearts of those whose lives were cut short, but also the determination of the parents to continue the fight for justice, required by a social and political environment that adds the crime of silence to that perpetrated by the explosion.
