“I lost a friend, before a parish priest.” The voice of Father Toufic Bou Merhi, Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land, superior of the convent of Saint Anthony of Padua in Tire and parish priest of the Assumption in Deirmimas comes through tears and anger.
«He had gone to help, with his young people, one of his parishioners whose house had been hit by Israeli forces. AND while he was giving help a second attack came which injured him. He arrived at the hospital, but he didn’t make it.” Father Pierre El Raii, Maronite parish priest of Qlayaa, «he has always encouraged Christians not to leave their land. Now, even in its name, the population is determined to stay here. Why should we leave our homes, our land? Why can’t we live? We ask only this: to live and live with dignity.”
In Beirut, «to celebrate the funeral of one of my parishioners who died here and not even knowing how to transport the body to Deirmimas because no one ventures beyond Tyre”, Father Toufic questions the future of this land. «I was born in 1970 and already at the age of five I experienced the civil war. I have 20-year-old grandchildren who have never lived in a truly peaceful country. Why do our young people have to look for a future outside our country? And why we must be pushed to fear our Shiite brothers. They are not all Hezbollah. The 500 thousand refugees sleeping on the streets are mostly children. If Hezbollah had 500 thousand militiamen it would have conquered the world. It’s not like that. But Shiite families now have a plaque on them. Because if they rent a house or live near someone, you know that Israel will target them. I myself, even when I’m in the car, look at the others in line to understand if some attack might come. But I don’t want to be afraid of my brother. What do they want to push us to? To hate each other? To another civil war? They come continuously warnings from Israel to evacuate the area near the border. At least a three kilometer band. There are only Christian villages there. And we won’t leave. Also because people wouldn’t know where to go. Sleeping on the street? To be hit anyway because perhaps she is close to a family of another religion? In the convent of Tire we are hosting 200 people. We don’t have mattresses and it’s still very cold here. We are doing our best, also knowing that people’s economic conditions do not allow them to find accommodation elsewhere.”
He speaks again about Father Pierre to remember that «he was not yet 50 years old, he was tireless, he encouraged his parishioners, he was always available to everyone. They say his parishioner’s house was targeted because three young people were hiding nearby. They say, but there is nothing verified. The drone, however, targeted the house and hit it. But even more serious is what happened next. When Father Pierre arrived with help, he was there the second attack precisely to hit those who were going to help. And I would like to mention that last week the house of another Orthodox parish priest near Deirmimas was targeted. His almost two-year-old son was injured. People now have so much anger and pain. He doesn’t want war, as the Pope said it only generates death, hatred and other violence. People are tired and don’t want to find themselves sleeping on the sidewalks. They keep saying: “If we have to die we want to do it in our homes”»
