In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office on March 9, 2026, Pope Leo XIV expressed his “deep sorrow” for all the victims of the bombings in the Middle East, with special mention of “so many innocent people, including many children” and those who were helping them.

The papal message highlights the case of Father Pierre El-Rahi (also referred to as Father Elrahi in some versions), a 50-year-old Maronite priest, who died that same day in Qlaya (or Qlayaa), Lebanon, after being wounded in an attack while assisting parishioners. According to the testimony of Franciscan Father Toufic Bou Merhi, Latin parish priest in Tyre and Deirmimas, the priest, along with several young people, went to help a parishioner whose house had been hit by an Israeli tank in a mountainous area of ​​his parish. During a second impact, El-Rahi was seriously wounded and, despite being quickly taken to a nearby hospital, he did not survive.

The Pope continues to follow developments in the region “with concern,” including bombings in Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries. According to figures cited by organizations such as UNICEF and Save the Children, around 300 children have lost their lives since the beginning of the current escalation of violence.

Leo XIV expresses his prayer that “all hostilities may cease as soon as possible” in the affected regions and makes an implicit appeal for peace through the silencing of weapons, allowing space for dialogue and reconciliation. The statement emphasizes the Pope’s closeness to the suffering of the civilian populations, especially the vulnerable Christian communities in the area, and indirectly condemns the continued violence that breeds massacres and hatred.

This statement comes in the context of a series of recent interventions by the Pope on conflicts in the Middle East, where he has repeatedly insisted that weapons do not generate peace, but destruction and suffering.