BREAKING Catholic Priest Killed in Lebanon in Israeli Attack - RIP Fr. Pierre who said "The only weapons we carry are peace, goodness and love"
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Father Pierre el-Rahi Martyred in Lebanon After Refusing to Abandon Parish
Vatican News Italian reported, that a Maronite Catholic priest, Father Pierre el-Rahi, was killed March 9, in the southern Lebanese village of Qlayaa after it was targeted by Israeli artillery. Despite receiving evacuation orders as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies, Father Pierre chose to remain with his community in the Marjeyoun District, just kilometers from the Israeli border.
In a video released just before the attack, Fr. Rahi, says "The only weapons we carry are peace, goodness and love."
Details of the Attack
Father Toufic Bou Merhi, a Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land and parish priest of the Latins in Tyre and Deirmimas, told Vatican News an initial attack had hit a house in his area, in the mountains of the southern part of the country, and Father Pierre had gone to help a wounded parishioner. The deadly attack occurred today at 2:00 PM Beirut time, exactly one week after the start of Israeli bombings on Lebanon. Father Toufic, over the phone, said "There was a first attack, which hit a house near his parish, in the mountains, wounding one of the parishioners." "Father Pierre rushed with dozens of other young people to help the parishioner: that's when there was another attack, another bombing on the same house. The parish priest was injured. He was taken to a local hospital, but he died. He died almost at the hospital door." He was just fifty years old." Father Toufic first recalls how the missing priest was "truly the support of the Christians in the area," always at their side, especially when they remained in that land, at a time of constant evacuation warnings from the Israeli army.
Mayor Hanna Daher expressed shock over the targeting of the peaceful Christian community.
“We don't know why our village was targeted. The attack is unclear. Qlayaa is a safe place,” he said. “The house that was hit is located at the eastern end of the village. We first heard an explosion, and then residents saw smoke rising from a house to the east. Everyone rushed to the scene.”
A Narrow Escape from Further Tragedy
As residents rushed to assist the victims of the initial strike, a second shell hit the same location, nearly causing a much larger catastrophe.
“When we arrived, we found that the house had been hit by artillery fire and that there were wounded inside,” the mayor explained. “While we were trying to evacuate people, a second shell exploded in the house. We narrowly avoided a massacre because there were so many of us there.”
Refuting Military Justifications
Addressing claims regarding the presence of combatants, Mayor Daher was adamant that the strike hit a civilian residence.
“It's said that there were fighters in the house, but that's not true. Those are lies,” he said. “Inside there were only the residents of the house and people from the village who had come to help the wounded.”
A Community Resolved to Stay
The death of Father Pierre follows the recent killing of Sami Ghafari, the brother of another local priest who also refused to evacuate. Despite the escalating violence and the displacement of hundreds of thousands across the region, the people of Qlayaa remain committed to their land.
“We are peaceful people and we don't harm anyone. All we ask is to be able to stay in our homes in peace,” Daher stated. “We don't know if there's a plan to force us to leave our lands, but we will stay here and not leave.”
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