Caught between Hezbollah and Israeli strikes, Lebanon’s Christian villages in the South seek Vatican support.
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.
Archbishop 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
