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War in Southern Lebanon Puts Thousands of Christians in Constant Danger, Catholic Nun Says

Bombs strike southern Lebanon.

By Eduardo Berdejo

ACI Prensa Staff, 03 October, 2024 / 12:50 pm (ACI Africa).

Some 9,000 Christians in three villages in southern Lebanon are in constant danger because of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, warned Sister Maya El Beaino, a nun of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. 

In a statement to the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the nun indicated that “the situation is horrible. We are in constant danger.”

She explained that “there is no hospital nearby and we only have three hours of electricity a day. We have no water or internet connection to call for help.”

This week, the Israeli government ordered the bombing of several parts of Lebanon and the entry of its soldiers into the southern zone, with the aim of finishing off Hezbollah, an ally of Iran.

The bishop of Sidon, Maroun Ammar, told ACN that “many people have left their homes in southern Lebanon and have taken refuge in our diocese. We will have to help the displaced and distribute food packages to them.”

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The ACN project coordinator in Lebanon, Marielle Boutros, said that “people are now living in church halls” and need material help, especially in anticipation of the arrival of winter, although they remain hopeful that the conflict will not last so long.

Sister Maya, who decided to stay in Ain Ebel, a village about three miles from the border with Israel, said: “Everyone talks about the people who have fled, but no one talks about the many Christians who have chosen to stay because they fear losing their home and their land forever.”

She added that “although many left the region at the beginning of the Gaza war, many families have returned home because life in Beirut is very expensive and because they could not bear to be separated from their parents, who were left alone in the south.”

Currently, ACN has 200 projects in Lebanon, most of them focused on emergency aid, especially for the dioceses and religious congregations in Beirut and the country’s south.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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