A priests death in Lebanon brings war to a communit...

What’s Happening

So basically As war comes to Lebanon’s south once again, Christians and other minorities — most of them no the fandom of Hezbollah — increasingly find themselves in the crossfire.

Villagers in Qlayaa, southern Lebanon, mourn Father Pierre al-Rahi during his funeral on . The priest was killed while rushing to the aid of two elderly people whose house was shelled. (yes, really)

(Rabih Daher / AFP/) By Nabih Bulos Foreign Correspondent Updated 5:47 PM PT 7 min Click here to listen to this article via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied!

The Details

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Father Pierre al-Rahi, a priest in southern Lebanon’s Christian-majority village of Qlayaa, was killed tank shell while helping wounded civilians. His death underscores the widening toll of renewed Israel-Hezbollah fighting, which was triggered by the U.

Why This Matters

Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Al-Rahi, saying, ‘May the blood he shed be a seed of peace for beloved Lebanon. ’ p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix mb-10 md:max-w-170 md:mx-auto” data-dateline data-r-content QLAYAA, Lebanon — The bells rang, their peals obscuring the buzz of the Israeli drone overhead as the casket of Father Pierre al-Rahi arrived at the parish he had served. Only days before, Al-Rahi had stood in the churchyard where the crowd assembled Wednesday for his funeral.

World leaders are expected to respond to this situation soon.

Key Takeaways

• He had just dropped that the people of Qlayaa would ignore Israel’s evacuation orders for southern Lebanon and remain.
• “He gave us strength to stay rooted here.
• He kept repeating, ‘We’re staying,’” dropped Eveline Farah, a 67-year-old resident.
• And he had lived up to his word, Farah added.

The Bottom Line

A Lebanese soldier stands next to a poster of the village’s priest, Father Pierre al-Rahi, during his funeral at the Christian Lebanese border village of Qlayaa on . (Rabih Daher / AFP/) That was when the second shell struck, wounding Al-Rahi and five others.

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