By CatholicVote | Created at 2024-10-29 18:31:57 | Updated at 2024-10-30 21:35:12
1 day ago
CV NEWS FEED // As Israeli airstrikes force thousands to flee, Lebanese Christians in the Archdiocese of Baalbek-Deir El-Ahmar are opening their doors to offer refuge to those escaping the violence, regardless of faith.
Approximately 13,000 people have found temporary refuge within the archdiocese, with 5,000 staying in private homes and many others sheltered in schools, churches, and convents, according to a report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Maronite Archbishop Monsignor Hanna Rahmé described the Church’s solidarity with the displaced community. In the villages around Deir El-Ahmar, Christian families are each housing three to four displaced families — 30 to 60 people — amid the ongoing crisis.
However, limited resources have left some displaced individuals sleeping on the streets or continuing their journey into Syria, where the International Organization of Migration reports that 235,000 have recently arrived.
Monsignor Rahmé told ACN that the archdiocese is deeply overwhelmed by the number of displaced people.
“[B]ut we can’t leave them to their fate; we are not Christians just for ourselves, but for everyone,” he affirmed.
The bombings, aimed at Hezbollah zones near Baalbek, have impacted Christian and Muslim villages alike, causing widespread displacement. Monsignor Rahmé, whose archdiocese spans roughly 27 percent of Lebanon, explained that the strikes often occur only miles from Deir El-Ahmar, endangering civilians and forcing many to seek safer shelter within Catholic communities.
Monsignor Rahmé emphasized that, due to the economic crisis, the volunteer host families are “already impoverished” and, under the strain, are now “at the end of their rope.”
“Nobody is helping them,” he said, explaining that NGOs only help the displaced who are staying in schools. “This is why the archdiocese is taking care of them.”
He highlighted the urgent need for food, mattresses, and blankets, expressing gratitude for the ACN, who “immediately offered vital aid.”
“Please stay at our side,” the archbishop concluded. “If we carry this together, we will be able to do great things.”
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