Pope Leo XIV expresses closeness to the people of Debel in southern Lebanon, and to all who suffer the consequences of war in an Easter message delivered amid ongoing Israeli attacks in the region.<\/p>\n
Vatican News<\/p>\n
In a message to the inhabitants of the conflict-battered village of Debel in southern Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV expressed his spiritual closeness to those suffering amid war, and he extended his consolation \u201cto all Christians of southern Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Archbishop Paolo Borgia, Apostolic Nuncio to the country, transmitted the Pope\u2019s message on Easter Day, conveying the Pope\u2019s \u201cproximity and paternal tenderness\u201d to communities affected by the ongoing violence in the area.<\/p>\n
The message, signed on the Pope\u2019s behalf by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was originally intended to be delivered in person during a pastoral visit to Debel. The nuncio was expected to travel with three trucks of humanitarian aid, coordinated by Caritas, the \u0152uvre d’Orient, and the Maronite Patriarchate. However, the journey was halted due to ongoing Israeli attacks in the area.<\/p>\n
So, forced to remain at the UNIFIL base in Deir Kifa, Archbishop Borgia read the papal message on Lebanese television, directly addressing the people of Debel and other affected communities in the south of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cA joy that nothing can take away\u201d <\/p>\n
In his Easter message, Pope Leo XIV had words of spiritual closeness to those suffering amid ongoing conflicts. In particular,\u00a0 he extended his consolation \u201cto all Christians of southern Lebanon and to all people who suffer the consequences of war.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord,\u201d the Pope wrote, \u201cMay you, in the midst of feelings of pain, anxiety, and mourning, come to know in your hearts a deeper joy: Jesus has gloriously triumphed over death. It is a joy that comes from heaven and that nothing can take away.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Pope also reflected on the suffering of the local population, noting that in moments of injustice, abandonment, and hardship, the faithful remain close to Christ in his own Passion and victory over evil.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn your misfortune, in the injustice you endure, in the feeling of abandonment you experience, you are very close to Jesus,\u201d the Pope continued. \u201cYou are close to Him on this Easter day, when He has conquered the forces of evil, and which resounds for you as a promise of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Appeal to perseverance and hope <\/p>\n
Pope Leo encouraged the faithful not to lose heart, reminding them that their prayers and acts of solidarity are not in vain. \u201cDo not lose courage,\u201d he pleaded, \u201cNo prayer of yours, no gesture of solidarity, no sigh of weariness that you express is lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
Entrusting the suffering communities to the intercession of Our Lady of Lebanon, he affirmed that she \u201ckeeps everything in her heart and brings it to her Son.\u201d<\/p>\n
The message concluded with the Apostolic Blessing imparted upon all those addressed, including their families and loved ones.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian mission halted by insecurity <\/p>\n
The Pope’s message came in the context of a halted humanitarian convoy. The planned mission to Debel, carrying essential supplies for civilians, was interrupted due to the security situation along the route.<\/p>\n
Despite the suspension of the physical distribution, the Church organisations involved continue to coordinate relief efforts for communities affected by the escalation of violence in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pope Leo XIV expresses closeness to the people of Debel in southern Lebanon, and to all who suffer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[32],"tags":[17471,6430,37,93,5657,36],"class_list":["post-55983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lebanon","tag-easter","tag-humanitarian-emergency","tag-israel","tag-lebanon","tag-pope-leo-xiv","tag-war"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116364210540024080","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}