Aid to the Church in Need says christians in Lebanon need help. They are being caught in the crossfire as Israel expands its targets in its war with Hezbollah militants.
The attacks aim to eliminate the threat of Hezbollah strikes on northern Israel.
Bernard Toutounji, National Director of Aid for the Church in Need (ACN) in Australia and New Zealand, says the Church is struggling to support the million people who have fled their homes in southern Lebanon.
Beirut, Mount Lebanon and Lebanon’s northern regions in particular are bearing the brunt of the internally displaced refugees.
The pontifical charity has announced an international emergency campaign to raise at least 1 million Euros (about $1,8 million NZD), Toutounji says. It will help the Catholic Church in Lebanon cope with the tremendous challenges Christians are suffering.
What the Church is doing to help
The Catholic Church has already sprung into action in Lebanon’s northern regions, as it fulfils its Biblical mandate to help people in need. It hopwa donations will help relieve the desperate situation.
The Church has opened facilities such as parish halls and retreat houses to all those fleeing the most dangerous areas, Toutounji says.
Everyone is welcome, regardless of religious or ethnic affiliation.
ACN has already reached out to the seven dioceses and five religious congregations most directly involved in relief efforts.
Toutounji says the money ACN raises will be used to address a variety of needs, including food, sanitary products, mattresses and covers, medication and other essentials.
Many of the Christians in southern Lebanon are farmers. The attacks have prevented them from harvesting their olive and tobacco crops, leaving them without any income.
Children’s education has been directly affected, with Catholic schools needing financial help Toutounji says. He explains that while most Catholic schools have opened for online classes, many parents in war-affected regions are unlikely to find work and they will struggle to pay tuition fees.
Critical situation
Although the crisis is affecting the whole country, the worst areas are in the border regions between Israel and Lebanon. Christians are a predominant group in this area.
ACN says most families are being separated.
Many mothers and children are sheltering in Church facilities or with relatives and, despite exposing themselves to danger, fathers often stay in their family homes to protect their property from being stolen.
“Lebanon has been going from crisis to crisis over the past decades, suffering from political instability, an influx of refugees from regional wars, an economic meltdown, the Beirut Port explosion which levelled large parts of the city, and now these attacks from Israel” ACN says.
“Despite all this, the Church has continued to serve the people, providing material and spiritual support at every turn. ACN has stood by our project partners in Lebanon, and we will not abandon them now as they face another hour of need.
“We are confident that our friends and benefactors will understand the urgency of supporting the Church in Lebanon to carry out God’s work.”
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