(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 03.12.2026).- The small Christian town of Qlayaa in southern Lebanon has become an unexpected focal point of the region’s escalating conflict, after thousands gathered to mourn a parish priest whose final act embodied the pastoral mission he had preached throughout his ministry.
On March 10, the Maronite Catholic community buried Father Pierre El Raii, the parish priest of St. George Church in Qlayaa, who died a day earlier after being wounded during an Israeli artillery strike while attempting to assist injured parishioners.
The funeral Mass drew a large crowd of mourners from across the region, including Church leaders, civil authorities and representatives of Lebanon’s security forces. The ceremony was presided over by Elias Nassar, a representative of the Maronite Patriarchate, and included the presence of the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Paolo Borgia, who came to express the solidarity of the Holy See with the Christian communities of the south.
For many residents of Qlayaa, the funeral was more than a moment of grief. It was also a declaration of determination to remain in their ancestral villages despite the violence spreading across the border region.
A village caught in a widening war
Qlayaa, a predominantly catholic Maronite town of roughly 8,000 inhabitants in the Marjeyoun district, lies only a few kilometers from the Israeli border. For months the area has been exposed to the expanding confrontation between Israel and the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah.
The latest escalation intensified after Hezbollah joined hostilities linked to the broader regional crisis involving Iran, prompting Israel to increase air and artillery operations in southern Lebanon.
According to the Lebanese government, since Israel resumed major attacks on March 2, at least 570 people have been killed and more than 1,400 wounded across the country.
Civilian communities have been particularly vulnerable. Hundreds of thousands of residents have already fled the south, many seeking shelter in schools, stadiums and public buildings in Beirut.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, has helped evacuate dozens of civilians—including children, elderly residents and people with disabilities—from villages near the front lines.
Yet some Christian towns have chosen to remain.
A priest who stayed
Father El Raii, 50, had decided to stay with his parishioners even after evacuation warnings were issued. Local clergy say he believed abandoning the village would undermine the community’s hope of returning after the war.
Less than two hours before his death, he told a Lebanese television channel that he and his congregation would not leave.
“Otherwise all hope of coming back would disappear,” he said.
According to accounts from local Church officials, the fatal incident occurred when artillery shells struck a house on the eastern edge of the village. Several residents were injured in the first explosion.
The priest rushed to the scene to help evacuate the wounded. While rescuers were still inside the building, a second projectile exploded, inflicting the injuries that later caused his death before he could reach a hospital.
Four other people were reported wounded in the same attack.
The mayor of Qlayaa, Hanna Daher, said local authorities were unable to identify any military target in the area.
“We do not know why our village was hit,” he said. “There were only civilians and people trying to help the injured.”
Witnesses described a chaotic rescue attempt in which volunteers narrowly escaped further casualties after the second explosion.
Pastoral legacy remembered
During the funeral Mass, a message from the Maronite patriarch of Antioch, Bechara Boutros Rai, recalled the priest’s ministry since his ordination in 2014.
The patriarch highlighted his dedication to children, youth and families, noting that he consistently encouraged believers to remain steadfast in their faith and in their homes despite the hardships facing the region.
The priest also served as regional chaplain for Caritas, working closely with families affected by economic hardship and displacement.
Before the liturgy began, civil authorities and representatives of humanitarian organizations spoke outside the church to honor what they described as his “constant generosity and tireless service.”
Father Toufic Bou Merhi, a Franciscan priest serving Latin-rite Catholics in southern Lebanon, summarized the sentiment shared by many in the crowd: the slain priest had been “a true shepherd, ready to give his life for his flock.”
For residents of Qlayaa, his death has reinforced their determination to remain in place despite the dangers.
“Our people want to stay in their homes and on their land,” Bou Merhi said. “They want to keep alive the example he gave them.”
A fragile Christian presence
The tragedy also reflects the vulnerability of Christian communities scattered across southern Lebanon.
In nearby towns such as Rmeish, priests report that daily life is increasingly shaped by the sound of explosions overhead. Travel between villages has become so dangerous that some clergy were unable to attend El Raii’s funeral.
Two of the five Christian villages in the immediate area have already been evacuated completely.
In Rmeish itself—home to about 7,000 residents—movement in and out of the town requires escort by the Lebanese army. Supplies of food and fuel are becoming increasingly difficult to secure as roads are repeatedly targeted or closed.
Yet local clergy say the religious life of the communities continues despite the war.
“We celebrate Mass twice a day and hold Eucharistic adoration,” said a parish priest in the region. “Faith has not been destroyed by the bombs.”
Papal tribute and call for peace
From the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV publicly remembered the slain priest during his general audience on March 11 in St. Peter’s Square.
The pope reflected on the meaning of the priest’s surname in Arabic—“El Raii,” which means “shepherd.”
“He was truly a shepherd,” the pontiff said, “always beside his people with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd.”
Leo XIV noted that the priest ran to assist parishioners injured in the bombardment without hesitation. He prayed that the blood shed in the attack might become “a seed of peace for beloved Lebanon.”
The pope also renewed his broader appeal for an end to violence across the Middle East, asking the faithful to pray for peace in the region and for the many civilian victims—particularly children—caught in the expanding conflict.
For the villagers of Qlayaa, however, the priest’s death has already left a lasting message.
Thank you for reading our content. If you would like to receive ZENIT’s daily e-mail news, you can subscribe for free through this link.
