Catholic organizations in the Middle East are helping to provide aid, food and shelter to people displaced by the ongoing military conflict in Lebanon, and some are concerned that a possible full-scale invasion by Israel could escalate the crisis.
Lebanon was pulled into the regional conflict when Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters fired missiles at northern Israel and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) retaliated against their strongholds, mainly southern Lebanon.
Monalisa Freeha, associate editor and deputy editor-in-chief of An-Nahar Al Arabi, spoke to “EWTN News Nightly” on March 26 with concerns for the Lebanese people, saying that they “did not choose this war” and “are not part of the decisions that led to this war.”
“(We are) paying the price every day, living under bombardment, fear and uncertainty,” she said.
Israeli forces began incursions into southern Lebanon to establish a security zone near the border, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on March 25 that he would push deeper into Lebanon to expand the zone. Hezbollah fighters are scattered across the region, but most of their attacks still come from rockets and drones, while ground clashes have been limited.
Israeli authorities ordered the evacuation of areas south of the Litani River, which are predominantly Shia Muslims but are also home to Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Sunni Muslim minorities. Hezbollah and the Iranian leadership are Shia.
More than 1,000 people have died in Lebanon. More than 1 million people have been displaced, and thousands of civilians remain in conflict areas despite evacuation orders.
ground position
Cédric Choucair, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) country representative for Lebanon, told EWTN News that the evacuation was “very challenging” for people and said the process was “very chaotic” because people “did not have a lot of choice or clarity as to when they had to evacuate, what time frame they were allowed to leave, (or) what route they should take.”
He said that during the initial attacks people “found themselves stuck in traffic because of the airstrikes all around them.” He said that people were ordered to leave the village, but then “you would find yourself in the next village that was also ordered to evacuate,” and said that the journey to Beirut was taking 14 to 24 hours.
The Lebanese government and humanitarian organizations are providing shelter, food, medical services and other types of assistance to the affected people. Some of the organizations involved include CRS, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), and Caritas Lebanon.
Choucair, working from the Lebanese capital Beirut, told EWTN News that CRS and Caritas have so far assisted 145,000 people affected by the conflict.
He said CRS is working closely with Caritas and other faith-based partners to provide food kits, medicine, mattresses, blankets, pillows and other types of medical assistance to people living in shelters. As the conflict continues, CRS is also working to make shelters “more dignified” by improving sanitation, access to hot water and providing supplies “so people can prepare their own food,” he said.
With many children displaced during the school year, Choucair said CRS is helping children deal with the trauma of the conflict.
Together with Caritas, he said CRS is also working to provide aid in war zones: “We have stocks of life-saving aid and goods available that we are sending to these areas.”
Chauker said some people who evacuated their villages are stranded in southern cities like Tyre. Others decided not to evacuate, he said, because “they have nowhere to go, they have no money to go, and they would prefer to stay, even if it means risking their lives.”
Although 130,000 people have been placed in shelters, Chaucer said most people will have to find “other solutions,” such as living with relatives, which could mean cramming dozens of people into homes. Many others, he said, are “living in their cars (and) setting up tents on the streets.”
“There are not enough mass shelters to host all the displaced people,” Chouker said.
He said the displacement of people was clearly visible “around central Beirut,” along the seashore, and in any neighborhood with a large Shia population.
Jesuit Father Daniel Korou, JRS’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, is also based in Beirut near Choucair. He told EWTN News that he opened his parish, St. Joseph, to migrant workers and ethnic minorities who need shelter during the attacks. About 200 people live in the building.
As he talked about the recent Israeli attack that destroyed a building just 300 meters from the parish, he said during a phone interview: “I can hear Israeli drones flying overhead”, which he described as an everyday occurrence for people living in the city.
In addition to primarily housing migrant workers as shelter, he said the population makes up the majority of congregations and the majority of volunteers helping refugees.
Korou said that many workers “earn very little money”, most of which they send back to their families. Speaking about the generosity of the volunteers he said: “This is where I stand in awe.”
concern about growth
Chouker expressed concern about a possible large-scale ground attack by Israel in southern Lebanon, noting that “there are still large numbers of people there.”
He said he was also concerned about Israel destroying bridges out of the area, adding that “if they want to evacuate,” there should be “a way for them to be able to do that.” She is “concerned about further displacement of people – not for the first time, but for the second time.”
Korou also expressed concern and some pessimism, saying there is a “general fear” that even if the United States and Iran reach a peace deal, it “will not end the ongoing conflict here (because) … Israel has different desires in Lebanon.”
He said he was concerned about Shia Muslims because some shelters would not shelter them out of fear that they “could become targets.” He also expressed concern for Catholics in the south, some of whom live in the war zone out of fear that “if they leave and Israel begins a prolonged occupation they will not be able to get their land back”.
Kourou attended a security briefing for NGOs and said that it appeared Israel was “not targeting Christian areas” but “Christian areas have been targeted.” He warned: “It is difficult to say that they are safe, even if they remain in their Christian villages.”
He echoed Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace and said, “War will not solve this.”
“It should be about some kind of negotiation – reaching an agreement,” Kourou said. “There has to be a diplomatic solution to this.”
Chaucer similarly echoed the Holy Father’s call for peace, saying, “We want to see the violence end and things to be resolved through diplomatic channels.”
“We want to make sure that civilians are protected, we want to make sure that humanitarian workers, including health care workers and paramedics, are protected in this conflict and, unfortunately, I think more can be done on this front,” he said.
