“Lebanon needs our solidarity today. Today is a reminder and sensitization to the needs of our brothers and sisters living in the Middle East,” said Bishop Artur Miziński, Secretary-General of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, during a press conference before the 13th Day of Solidarity with the Persecuted Church, which the Polish church will celebrate on Sunday 14th November under the slogan “Solidarity with Lebanon”.
“It is important to help the inhabitants of Lebanon this year in the country where they live so that they do not have to go wandering for assistance,” – emphasized Bishop Miziński.
The Secretary-General noted that the help offered to the Lebanese of the Polish Military Contingent is invaluable. “Lebanon needs our solidarity today that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he added. He also asked for support for this initiative through prayers, donations, and text messages.
“Let us try to think of our brothers and sisters who remained in Lebanon, but who would not experience peace and life worthy of human conditions. Therefore, we want to help them, we want to help them rebuild damaged houses, so that there are no children left on the streets, so the children can attend schools. So that with the passage of time, the normalization of living conditions worthy of a human being will be commonplace,” emphasized Bishop Miziński.
“In a special way, we, as Christians, are obliged to constantly provide help to those who need it,” said Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, SAC, Archbishop of Gdańsk, and chairman of the Polish Section of Aid for the Church in Need. He emphasized that we can help the Lebanese through financial donations, prayers, or informing about the situation in this country.
Archbishop Georges Bacouni, the Catholic Archbishop of the Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church of Beirut and Byblos in Lebanon, thanked the Polish Bishops’ Conference and the Polish Military Contingent for organizing a day of solidarity with Lebanon. Archbishop Bacouni admitted that Lebanon and the Lebanese are facing a very difficult situation, mainly after the explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020. As a result of this explosion, most of the Lebanese victims, of which there are about 100,000 Christians, were left homeless.
In turn, Fr. prof. Waldemar Cisło, director of the Polish Section of the Polish Military Contingent, noted that Lebanon is today on the verge of a tragedy. “The Middle East is that bleeding wound of the Church. We want Lebanon not to become another country without Christians. “
This year, the Day of Solidarity with the Persecuted Church falls on November 14 and will be celebrated under the slogan “Solidarity with Lebanon”. The organizer of this Day is the Pontifical Association of Aid to the Church in Need. The Day of Solidarity with the Persecuted Church was established by the decision of the Polish Bishops’ Conference in 2008. It is celebrated every second Sunday in November.
