Priest killed by Israeli tank leaves ‘profound wound in the heart of the Church’

THE head of the Maronite Church has condemned the deadly attacks on Lebanon after one of his priests was killed in southern Lebanon. 

Father Pierre El Rai was killed in Qlayaa on Monday (9th March) as he sought to help parishioners whose house had been fired upon by an Israeli tank.

The 50-year-old Maronite priest from the Maronite Diocese of Tyre had rushed to the house in the mountainous area of his parish with some young people when the tank struck the house a second time, wounding him.

He was taken to hospital where he died from his injuries. 

Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai paid tribute to Fr El Rai saying he “gave his life as a testament to love and devotion to his priestly mission”.

He said: “The martyrdom of a priest dedicated to the service of God and his people, steadfast in his pastoral mission alongside the faithful in times of hardship, is a profound wound in the heart of the Church. 

“It reveals once again the tragedy for which innocents pay the price in the cycle of violence and wars, against which we have long warned, urging everyone to keep our nation out of its tragedies and to embrace negotiation, dialogue, and diplomacy.”

Fr Toufic Bou Merhi, Roman Catholic parish priest in Tyre and Deirmimas, told Vatican News Fr El Rai was a “true pastor for the Christians of his parish”.

Lebanon has been hit by dangerous military escalations between Hezbollah and Israel.

A fragile ceasefire set in 2024 collapsed following the US-Israeli offensive against Iran on 28th February, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Fr El Rai was a project partner of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and was supporting pastoral outreach in Klayaa Parish, in Tyre, which serves around 3,000 parishioners. 

The charity had been working with the priest and staff on the ground said despite the growing insecurity in southern Lebanon, many priests and religious sisters have chosen to remain with their communities. 

Many Christian families have also stayed in their villages, unwilling to abandon their homes, land and livelihoods.

ACN also received reports that Sami Ghafari, 70, the brother of another Lebanese priest, who was killed while in the garden of his home in Aalma el Chaab, a Christian village located near the border. 

Patriarch Rai added: “We strongly condemn every attack targeting civilians, religious figures, places of worship, homes, institutions and every inch of our homeland. 

“We see this tragic event as a blatant assault on human dignity and the sanctity of life. We affirm that the continuation of the logic of war and weapons will bring nothing but more killing, destruction, and displacement to Lebanon and the region.”

Patriarch Rai said: “We call upon all officials in Lebanon, the region and the international community to shoulder their historical responsibilities and work immediately and diligently to stop this senseless war that threatens the lives of the people and the future of the nation. 

“This is especially crucial given the Lebanese state’s clear position of neutrality in the war waged in support of Iran, a war in which Hezbollah unilaterally decided to participate… 

“Lebanon was not created to be an arena for wars, but rather a homeland for coexistence and a beacon of freedom and human dignity.”