Lebanon Pleads With Vatican To Save Christian Villages Being Obliterated In Border War
Lebanon's Foreign Minister urgently appeals to the Vatican to protect Christian villages in the south as Israeli strikes kill a Maronite priest.
Lebanon Begs Vatican To Save Christian Villages From Destruction In Southern Border War
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi made a direct plea to the Vatican on March 10, urging the Holy See to intervene diplomatically and protect Christian communities in the war torn south of the country.
In a phone call with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, Raggi stressed that predominantly Christian border villages have remained loyal to the Lebanese state and its military institutions, even through the country's most turbulent periods.
The appeal comes as Israeli military operations continue to devastate southern Lebanon, where ancient Maronite Catholic villages like Qlayaa, Rmeish, and Alma al Shaab are caught between Hezbollah infiltrations and Israeli retaliatory strikes.
We are forced to stay despite the danger, when we defend our land, and we do so peacefully. None of us carries weapons. All of us carry peace and goodness and love.
These were among the last words of Father Pierre al Rahi, the Maronite parish priest of St. George Church in Qlayaa, who was killed on March 9 by Israeli tank fire while rushing to aid wounded parishioners.
The 50 year old priest had refused evacuation orders, declaring "We will remain here until death." His name, al Rahi, means "shepherd" in Arabic. Pope Leo XIV called him "a true shepherd who always remained beside his people with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd."
Archbishop Gallagher assured Lebanon that the Holy See is conducting "all the necessary diplomatic contacts to halt the escalation" and prevent further displacement. The Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, has also scheduled a solidarity visit to the border villages.
Latest estimates indicate over 630 people have been killed in Lebanon in just the past week, with some 800,000 displaced. UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) have been forced to evacuate residents from Alma al Shaab as violence intensifies.
Vatican Mobilizes Diplomacy As Lebanese Christians Face Extinction In Border Villages
Christian farmer Youssef al Ghafri was also killed in a strike on the village of Alma al Shaab. These villages lack Lebanese army protection, making it impossible to prevent militant infiltrations that then trigger devastating Israeli targeting of civilian areas.
Pope Leo XIV, who made his inaugural foreign apostolic journey to Lebanon and Turkey in December 2025, has emphasized Christians' mission to build a "civilization of love and peace." The killing of Father al Rahi has underscored the urgency of that mission.
The Crusader's Opinion
A priest who refused to abandon his flock was blown apart by a tank shell while running toward the wounded. Let that sink in. Father Pierre al Rahi died the way every shepherd should live, but no shepherd should have to die. These are unarmed Christians on ancestral land they have held for over a thousand years, caught between Iranian proxies using their villages as shields and a military that treats every building as a target. The world's silence is deafening. Where are the marches? Where is the outrage? If a single mosque were struck under these circumstances, every capital on earth would erupt. But when it is a Maronite church, when it is a Catholic priest, when it is Christian blood, the cameras turn away. This is not collateral damage. This is the erasure of Christendom from the land where Christ Himself walked. Evil does not care about your denomination. It cares about your extinction.
Take Action
- Donate to The Shepherd's Shield to support persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
- Give to Aid to the Church in Need, which is actively supporting priests and parishes in southern Lebanon.
- Support Open Doors in their mission to strengthen persecuted Christians worldwide.
- Contact your congressional representatives and demand they pressure all parties to establish protected zones for Christian villages in southern Lebanon. Find your representative at house.gov.
- Pray specifically for the Maronite communities of Qlayaa, Rmeish, and Alma al Shaab, and for Archbishop Borgia's solidarity visit to bring international attention to their plight.
