The pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has just launched the extraordinary campaign “SOS Lebanon”, to support Christian communities affected by the escalation of war in the country.
Currently, the foundation has 200 projects throughout Lebanon. Many of these projects are aimed at emergency aid, especially those of dioceses and religious congregations in southern Lebanon. Support has been renewed for food and hygiene products for 1,500 Christian families in great need in the Diocese of Tyre and another 983 families in the Diocese of Sidon. The emergency even reaches Beirut, the capital, where ACN is urgently supporting 700 Christian families. In total, this emergency aid amounts to €294,000.
Bishop Maroun Ammar of the Diocese of Sidon said: “Many people have left their homes in southern Lebanon and have taken refuge in our diocese. We will have to help the displaced and distribute food parcels to them.”
Sister Maya El Beaino, a Sister of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who has decided to stay in Ain Ebel, just five kilometers from the border with Israel, told ACN: “The situation is horrible. We are in constant danger. There are still 9,000 Christians here, spread across three villages. There is no hospital nearby, and we only have three hours of electricity a day. We have no water or internet connection to call for help.”
ACN has also provided, through Sister Maya, medical aid to 1,200 people in recent months. In Rmeich, another village on the Lebanese-Israeli border, the presence of these nuns is a comfort: “Everyone talks about the people who have fled, but no one talks about the many Christians who have chosen to stay because they fear losing their home and their land forever,” says Sister Maya. “Although many left the region at the beginning of the Gaza war, many families have returned home because life in Beirut is very expensive and because they could not bear to be separated from their parents, who were left alone in the south.”
Churches as a refuge
Churches as a refugeACN project coordinator in Lebanon, Marielle Boutros, is in direct contact with Lebanese Christian communities: “People are now living in church halls, so they need food, sanitary products, mattresses and blankets, and if this continues, we will need heating for the winter, although of course we hope it will not last that long.” There have been reports that project requests will increase in the coming weeks.
Aid to Lebanon has been strengthened in recent years, in the face of the severe economic crisis the country is going through, the Covid emergency, the huge explosion in the port of Beirut and the escalation of violence that has broken out in the last year. Lebanon is a priority country for the foundation, last year it was the third most helped country. ACN supported the Lebanese Church in 2023 with more than 6.9 million euros. In 2024, it is expected to exceed this figure.
Call to prayer for peace
ACN also makes an urgent call to prayer for the inhabitants of southern Lebanon, for the victims of war, for refugees and for an end to violence. “We pray to the God of all comfort to hear our prayers,” said Regina Lynch, Executive President of ACN International, “and to allow his love and compassion to touch the hearts of those involved in the fighting to inspire them to seek peaceful solutions, so that justice and reconciliation can reign throughout the Holy Land and beyond.”
More information on the “SOS Lebanon” Campaign at this link
