Lebanon asks Vatican to help protect threatened Christian villages in the south

Lebanon is asking the Vatican to stand with Christian villages in the southern part of the country. In recent days, these communities were widely praised across Lebanese and international media after residents chose to remain in their homes despite the dangers around them. Caught between Hezbollah infiltrations and Israeli strikes, villagers insisted on staying in their ancestral lands.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, Youssef Raggi, said on Tuesday he had contacted the Holy See to raise concerns about the situation. In a phone call with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Raggi discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the difficult conditions facing border villages in the south.

He also asked the Holy See to intervene and mediate in order to help preserve the Christian presence in those villages, whose residents, he noted, have consistently supported the Lebanese state and its official military institutions.

Gallagher, for his part, affirmed that the Holy See is making the necessary diplomatic contacts to help halt the escalation in Lebanon and prevent the displacement of citizens from their lands. He also assured that Lebanon remains in the prayers of Pope Leo.

A worsening crisis for southern Lebanon’s Christian villages

The foreign ministerʼs appeal comes as the situation for Christian border villages grows increasingly dire.

On Monday, Father Pierre Rahi was killed in an Israeli strike on the Christian village of Qlayaa. According to local reports, Hezbollah militants had infiltrated the town, turning it into a potential target. Residents alerted Father Rahi, who reportedly went to confront the armed men and asked them to leave the village. The strike that followed killed him.

His death shocked Lebanon and drew attention across the Catholic world, where many saw in him as a hero and shepherd who chose to remain with his community despite the dangers.

It was not the first such tragedy. The day before, Youssef Al-Ghafri, a Christian farmer, was killed in the town of Alma al-Shaab in similar circumstances.

On Tuesday, United Nations peacekeepers from UNIFIL escorted residents of Alma al-Shaab out of the village as they evacuated their homes. The residents had hoped to remain and had appealed for the Lebanese army to deploy and protect the town, but the protection did not materialize, forcing families to leave.

There are now growing fears that other Christian towns along the border could face the same fate. The mayor of Rmeish, for example, said he received a warning call from an Israeli officer stating that the town itself is not considered a target, but that it would become one if Hezbollah militants entered it.

The problem, residents say, is that these villages lack the presence of the Lebanese army needed to prevent such infiltrations, making it extremely difficult for local communities to control the situation.

Caught between Israeli strikes and Hezbollah’s military adventures, Christian villagers fear they are paying the price of a conflict they oppose — at risk of becoming not only collateral damage, but also pawns in a wider regional confrontation.

According to reports from An-Nahar, the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, has scheduled a visit to the Christian border villages next Friday in a gesture of solidarity with their residents and in rejection of any plans that could lead to the displacement of those who remain. The visit aims to encourage villagers to remain in their homes and on their land despite the growing dangers.

In addition, according to MTV Lebanon, the United States has intervened, in coordination with Israel, to help protect Christian villages in southern Lebanon. However, the sources said the main challenge remains the absence of the Lebanese army in these areas, which has made it difficult to prevent Hezbollah militants from entering the villages and turning them into potential targets.