Another war in the Middle East is taking a tragic toll. Increasingly dire news is coming out of Lebanon - a country that has been grappling with economic and social crises for years and is now once again becoming a place of fear, destruction, and mass displacement. Bombs are falling on cities and villages, and thousands of families are hurriedly leaving their homes to flee the shelling.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have fled their homes following intensified Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and the south of the country in early March. According to Caritas, the number of internally displaced persons has exceeded half a million after just a few days. This is a massive humanitarian crisis in a country of about 4.5 million people, which in recent years has taken in nearly two million refugees from war-torn Syria. Today, Lebanon - already weakened by a long-standing crisis - is once again the scene of a civilian tragedy.
Israel justifies the bombings as necessary to combat Hezbollah militants. In reality, however, it is ordinary people - residents of villages and cities, families with children, and the elderly - who have nowhere to flee and who are paying the highest price. They are the ones losing their homes, their life’s work, and their sense of security. In many cities, schools and churches have been turned into shelters for those fleeing the south of the country.
A poignant symbol of this tragedy is the death of the Maronite priest, Fr. Pierre Ar-Rahi, the parish priest of the village of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon. He was killed during an Israeli attack while trying to help an injured parishioner. A few days earlier, he had said: “We have decided to stay here despite the danger, because these are our homes. We will not allow anyone to enter our village and use it for any purpose. None of us carry weapons. The only weapons we possess are peace, kindness, and love.” He did not want to leave his parishioners. His death is a poignant reminder of the high price paid by people who have no weapons and do not participate in hostilities. The youngest are also among the victims. According to Lebanese authorities, at least 83 children have been killed so far.
Just a few months ago, many people in Lebanon were simply struggling to survive the winter. As part of the “Aid for the Holy Land” project, we sought to support the poorest families by providing them with fuel, food, and basic necessities. Today, winter is over, but the need for help has not gone away - a new wave of violence has forced thousands of people to flee once again. Many of them have nowhere to return to. Their homes have been destroyed or are located in areas affected by the fighting. Families are spending the night in makeshift shelters, schools, churches, with relatives, or out in the open.
That is why our “Aid for the Holy Land” project did not end with the arrival of winter. Thanks to the support of people of goodwill, we are able to prepare food packages for the neediest families and deliver fuel to areas where it is still essential. This aid reaches those in need directly thanks to the involvement of local communities and the coordination led by Fr. Prof. Waldemar Cisło of the Friends of the Mission Foundation.
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Each food package provides tangible assistance to a family that has often lost everything in an instant. At a time when government institutions are overwhelmed by successive crises and the economy is in deep decline, such aid becomes the only chance of survival for many people.
In Lebanon, traditionally considered a bastion of Christianity in the Middle East, the Christian population has declined from 77.5% to 34.3% over the past century. If this process continues, there is a real risk that places associated with the origins of Christianity will be left without those who have upheld the faith and tradition there for generations.
That is why it is so important today to support the people who, despite everything, want to remain in their homes. By helping them survive this most difficult time, we are helping to save not only individual lives, but also the communities and heritage of this part of the world.
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