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Posted on 04/09/2026 11:48:15 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
My heart is heavy as I look toward Lebanon – a land long marked by faith, suffering, and perseverance.
Lebanon is not merely another nation in conflict. It is home to one of the oldest and largest Christian populations in the Middle East, where the name of Jesus Christ has been professed continuously since the earliest centuries of the Church. In that sacred land stands the shrine of St. Charbel Makhlouf, a humble monk whose life of prayer, penance, and Eucharistic devotion has borne extraordinary fruit. Known as the “miracle monk of Lebanon,” countless souls have testified to God’s healing through his intercession – a sign that even in suffering, God has not abandoned His people.
And yet today, Lebanon bleeds.
Reports continue to emerge of relentless bombardment in densely populated civilian areas – families, children, the elderly – lives shattered without warning. What we are witnessing is not simply warfare, but a grave assault on human dignity. The deliberate targeting or reckless endangerment of innocent life is never justified. NEVER.
The Church has always been clear: War itself is a tragedy – but the intentional harming of civilians is a moral evil that cries out to Heaven.
We must not grow numb to images of destruction. We must not allow political narratives to dull our conscience. Every child killed, every home destroyed, every mother weeping over her son – this is not abstract. This is human suffering. This is Christ crucified again in His people.
Lebanon has already endured decades of instability, economic collapse, and the exodus of Christians from the region. To strike this nation again – especially in ways that devastate civilian life – is to deepen wounds that may take generations to heal.
I call upon all leaders involved to remember this: power does not grant moral permission. Military strength does not justify the loss of innocent life. There can be no lasting peace built upon the graves of the defenseless.
And to the faithful, I say this: do not remain silent in your hearts. Pray. Fast. Offer sacrifice.
Pray for the people of Lebanon. Pray for the conversion of those who wield power without mercy. Pray for true peace – not the fragile silence of ceasefires, but the peace that comes from justice rooted in truth.
Through the intercession of St. Charbel Makhlouf, may God bring healing to the wounded, comfort to the grieving, and repentance to those who act without regard for the sanctity of life.
And may we never forget: Every human life is sacred, from conception to natural death, in every nation, without exception.
In Christ Our Hope,
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland Bishop Emeritus
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He is on the wrong side of this one.
“Reports continue to emerge of relentless bombardment in densely populated civilian areas – families, children, the elderly – lives shattered without warning.
“What we are witnessing is not simply warfare, but a grave assault on human dignity. The deliberate targeting or reckless endangerment of innocent life is never justified. NEVER.
“The Church has always been clear: War itself is a tragedy – but the intentional harming of civilians is a moral evil that cries out to Heaven.”
Did he bother to cry as Lebanon allowed itself to be used as a defacto Islamic Jhihadi state to launch 1,000s of missile into Israel? Did he weep and pray for all the Christians driven out of Lebanon by these same Muslim lunatics?
Franklin Graham’s “Samaritan’s Purse” has been at the forefront of sending aid to Lebanon. I would hope no sane person would see that as aiding and abetting Hezbollah. Christians are already forced to live under Hezbollah - but now they are viewed as disposable human shields from the Israeli vantage - merely for existing interspersed throughout the land. So they are under siege from all sides
Samaritan’s Purse Providing Urgently Needed Relief in Lebanon
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/samaritans-purse-providing-urgently-needed-relief-in-lebanon/
Third Airlift (yesterday)
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/third-recent-airlift-to-lebanon-delivers-more-aid/
Never fear! Israel’s Operation Eternal Darkness (yes, that’s its actual name) continues apace.
“Did he bother to cry as Lebanon allowed itself to be used as a defacto Islamic Jhihadi state to launch 1,000s of missile into Israel? Did he weep and pray for all the Christians driven out of Lebanon by these same Muslim lunatics?”
No, he just turned the other cheek... And I’m sure he has an inexhaustible supply of them. And muslims love slapping them!
The Christian teaching is, you need Jesus to avoid Eternal Darkness.
A godly man and a godly priest. May his prayer be answered.
The Lebanese Christians are in the crossfire, oppressed by Hezbollah and yet viewed as dispensable human shields by Netanyahu simply for existing on the land.
If you’re Lebanese Christian, you’re bound to live in an apartment building, go to the same grocery stores, be nursed at the same hospitals as your Islamic/Islamic terrorist neighbors. And so by your antichrist estimation, they are human shields.
They arent civilians, they’re Hezbollah.
This includes the elderly and the kids
Even the infants are future Hezb. They WILL be indoctrinated.
Right. Tell that to God and to the Christians...
not just in Lebanon — but in I R A N.
IRAN has the fastest growing church in the world. So says Franklin Graham, son of the late Billy Graham.
False. It’s rhe Dhaliyeh area under attack. All Shia/ Hezb.
Well, there will be Christians killed, it’s a war. They arent exempt.
Christians were killed in the millions in Nazi Germany. Should we have ceased fighting Nazi Germany?
One could better negotiate with Hitler than with Hezb.
Well a lot of young IDF soldiers are dying too. They shouldn’t be seen as expendable either.
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