Press Release – For Immediate Release
Montreal, September 26, 2024 — Aid to the Church in Need Canada (ACN) is launching an emergency campaign to help people fleeing Southern Lebanon, a region now affected by the war that broke out on October 7. (Cover photo: In June, bombings have already hit southern Lebanon and the Christian community).
Earlier this week, Marielle Boutros, ACN’s project coordinator for Lebanon, said, “People are now living in church halls, so they will need food, sanitary products, mattresses, blankets, and if it continues, we will need heating for winter, though of course, we hope it will not last that long.”
ACN Canada is appealing to the generosity of its benefactors and is launching an emergency campaign to help the population fleeing from violence. “ACN already supports many projects in Lebanon. We have supported over 300 in the past year,” says Marie-Claude Lalonde, national director of ACN Canada. “We are deeply concerned and saddened by what is currently happening in Southern Lebanon. Many bishops in the Middle East feared this escalation. We had hoped that the war that began on October 7 would not spread to Lebanon. Unfortunately, this is not the case,” says Lalonde.
“I am appealing to all our benefactors, and to all those who care about the fate of Lebanese Christians. We want to support our partners in Lebanon who are currently welcoming those displaced by this senseless violence. Thank you for helping us to support those who are helping,” says Lalonde.
To donate:
By phone: 1-800-585-6333, ext. 228
New exodus?
Even though Hezbollah appears to be the main target, Ms. Boutros explains that “It is affecting everyone, because all Southern Lebanon is being targeted. These are not purely Shia or Hezbollah areas; we have a lot of Christian families living there. Some have lost their houses, and they are moving now from the south to other places in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and the north, to find safety.”
And although attacks in Beirut are mainly focused on Shia areas, everyone in Lebanon’s capital is feeling the effects: “Beirut is not a big city, so if a part of Beirut is targeted, all Beirut will feel it, and all day, people hear the sound of military aircraft or drones,” says ACN’s project coordinator for the country.
For decades, Lebanon has seen a stream of Christians emigrate to Western countries in search of a better and safer life. Marielle Boutros fears that this new war will lead to a new exodus, further diminishing the presence and influence of Christians in the region. “I am 37 years old, and I have experienced more than five wars in Lebanon. It is not easy to live in a country where one day you are fine, and the next you are hiding from missiles. It is not the kind of life that young people like to live. The trauma the people are experiencing now, and the trauma of having yet another war will not be easily forgotten,” she explains.
In addition to the material aid that will be provided to those affected by the war, Marielle Boutros continues to call on all benefactors and friends of ACN to pray for peace “to finally come to Lebanon and the entire region, and for a just end to the current conflict.”
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