Qlayya — the name means “little castle” — is a village in southern Lebanon five kms from Israel. Its olive groves, vineyards and fertile agricultural lands overlook the Litani River which runs roughly parallel to the border between the two countries. But to its predominantly Maronite (Eastern rite) Catholic population, it’s not the idyllic rural paradise that one would expect from such a Biblical landscape.

Living in perpetual fear of being caught in the crossfire between Hezbollah, the Lebanese Islamist political party and Israel, its sworn enemy, their lives are marked by uncertainty and fear — but also by an invincible faith. Deeply attached to their ancient homeland, and their Christian way of life, they have defied evacuation orders from Israel even as their “little castle” is increasingly under siege, with Hezbollah and Israel pounding the surrounding territory with bombs and rocket fire. Hezbollah has joined the war between Iran and the Israel-U.S. alliance in support of Iran.

The Christians’ refusal to leave their ancestral villages is rooted in their experience of past wars in the region, explains Nuri Kino, leader of A Demand for Action, the Sweden-based humanitarian organization with extensive experience providing hands-on relief to refugees in Lebanon fleeing religious persecution and genocide in neighbouring countries.

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 “When Christians left their homes in the past, they were occupied by others and they could never return. And the plight of Christians (who are not participants in this war and are not linked to Hezbollah) is often forgotten in media reports,” he said.

As Israel continued to issue evacuation orders, church bells continued to toll in Qlayya and neighbouring villages, not only to warn people of imminent danger, but also as a symbol of their resistance and determination to stay.

However, in the early hours of March 9, one of the worst nightmares of Qlayya’s residents came true. Fr. Pierre al-Rahi, the beloved parish priest of St. George Church in the village, who had ignored Israeli orders to leave and had chosen to stay with his people, was killed in an Israeli tank attack. 

On March 13, the UN reported that 815,000 people were uprooted by the violence spilling into Lebanon as Israeli forces and Hezbollah exchanged rocket fire in what some analysts describe as the most dangerous and consequential war in Lebanon in recent years.

 “For more than a century, Lebanon has stood as one of the last places in the Middle East where Christians live as an integral part of national life rather than as a marginalized minority. Preserving Lebanon’s sovereignty and stability is essential to protecting religious diversity in the Middle East and safeguarding its historic Christian communities. Lebanon’s Christians are not a party to this conflict, yet they once again find themselves forced to the front lines, caught between regional powers and armed actors,” Richard Ghazal, executive director of the Washington-based In Defense of Christians, said in a press release. 

A message on X from Lebanon’s presidential office stated that President Joseph Aoun, a Maronite Catholic, had briefed the Papal Nuncio in his country, Msgr. Paolo Borgia, on the severity of the situation and requested help.

Humanitarian organizations such as Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and A Demand for Action (ADFA) were among the first to sound the alarm and alert the world to the new wave of violence rocking the country, already reeling from multiple crises including an economic collapse and a port explosion in Beirut in 2020 that left 218 dead and 300,000 displaced.

CNEWA and ACN, both pontifical charities funded mostly (but not exclusively) by Catholic donors, have risen to the occasion and have launched emergency operations.

CNEWA — which is marking 100 years of service since its founding in 1926 by Pope Pius XI to help Eastern Churches — is rushing food and medical supplies to those most in need, its Lebanon-based regional director, Michel Constantin told The Catholic Register. He said he is in constant discussions with parish priests, municipalities and volunteers to assess the differing needs of families who have decided to stay in their villages, and others who have fled who are staying with host families in other parts of the country.

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He described the challenges CNEWA faces in its emergency work. 

“Politically and militarily, the situation is fluid, making the needs change every day,” said Constantin. “For example, we have designed our response assuming that the Christian villages in the south have nothing to do with Hezbollah and are likely to remain in their villages, but two days ago, a whole Christian village was displaced, causing further anxiety and fear in neighbouring Christian villages.”

Constantin appealed to Canadians for action on the political front as well as financial support.

“We hope the government of Canada, like the French President Emmanuel Macron, adopts a resolution based on Lebanese President Aoun’s appeal to stop the war and start direct negotiations with Israel,” he said.

Constantin assured donors that all emergency donations will be used to meet the needs of displaced Christian and non-Christian families for food, fuel, medications and other urgent needs such as mattresses and blankets.

“The Church is doing what it always does in times of crisis — it has opened its door. Parishes and church centres are receiving families and offering them refuge, comfort and prayer. But the Church urgently needs to help provide food, clean water, medicine, shelter and hygiene supplies,” states a press release issued by ACN.

Marie-Claude Lalonde, national director of ACN Canada, emphasized that ACN and the Church open their doors to all in need, regardless of their faith background. 

“ACN is stepping in with emergency aid for all, including Christians and Shia Muslims, and we are coordinating our efforts with partners on the ground to deliver aid as efficiently as possible,” she said.

She is particularly concerned about the displacement and possible mass exodus of Lebanon’s Christians to other countries and highlighted the importance of supporting those who wish to stay in their own communities to protect their churches and ensure the continuity of their Christian presence, an integral part of the social fabric of the country. 

“If all Christians leave Lebanon, it would be a loss for Lebanon and the global Christian community,” she said.

She added that Canadians have another reason to support the people of Lebanon in their hour of need, noting that there are 210,605 people of Lebanese origin in Canada according to the 2021 census.

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“Almost all of us know someone in Lebanon who is directly affected by this tragedy,” she said.

 On March 14, UN News reported that Secretary General Antionio Guiterez had called on the international community to support the government and people of Lebanon, and warned that the south of the country is at risk of being turned into a wasteland.