Pope Leo XIV: ‘Profound sorrow’ for slain priest, all suffering in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV has expressed “profound sorrow” over the death of a Maronite Catholic priest as a result of Israeli shelling in the Lebanese village where the cleric was ministering, and for all victims of ongoing violence in the Middle East.

The pope also renewed his appeal for an end to fighting throughout the region.

A statement from the press office of the Holy See conveyed the pontiff’s “profound sorrow for all the victims of the recent bombardments in the Middle East, for the many innocent people, including many children, and for those who helped them.”

The statement said the pope “follows the events with concern and prays for a swift end to all hostilities.”

The statement specifically mentions Father Pierre El-Rahi, a Maronite priest killed Monday in the village of Qlayaa in the south of Lebanon, reportedly by Israeli artillery fire.

Franciscan Father Toufic Bou Merhi, a priest of the Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land, told Vatican Median El-Rahi was injured while rushing to the aid of a parishioner who had been wounded in an attack on his house.

“There was a first attack, which hit a house near his parish, in the mountains, wounding