The Holy See Press Office, through its Telegram channel, reports that Leo XIV prays for all hostilities in the Middle East regions to cease. The Pontiff expresses his solidarity with the “many innocents, including many children” killed in the bombings and “those who helped them”, such as Father Pierre El-Rahi, the Maronite priest killed this Monday (09/03), in an attack in Lebanon.
Vatican News
It is a “deep pain” expressed by Pope Leo
This is the Maronite priest killed on Monday afternoon (09/03), in Qlaya during an attack that hit a house in the area of his parish, on the mountain, injuring one of the parishioners. As Franciscan Father Toufic Bou Merhi told Vatican media, Father Pierre ran with dozens of other young people to help the parishioner. At that moment, there was another bombing in the same house and the parish priest was injured. Taken to a local hospital, he did not survive.
The Pope’s painful thought – released through the channel Telegram from the Press Office of the Holy See – goes to him and to all those who lost their lives in the attacks of these days in the Middle East regions. Firstly, the children. According to children’s organizations such as Unicef and Save the Children, around 300 minors have been killed since the current escalation of violence began.
Leo XIV, reports the Vatican note, “follows with concern what is happening and prays that all hostilities will cease as soon as possible”.
