{"id":6964,"date":"2026-06-01T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/?p=6964"},"modified":"2026-06-10T13:03:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T13:03:32","slug":"church-aid-leader-beseiged-christians-in-lebanon-struggle-to-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.maryknollsociety.org\/magazine\/church-aid-leader-beseiged-christians-in-lebanon-struggle-to-survive\/","title":{"rendered":"Church Aid Leader: Beseiged Christians in Lebanon Struggle to Survive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By Katarzyna Szalajko, OSV News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(OSV News) \u2014 As fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues and&nbsp;Lebanon\u2019s economic crisis deepens, many Christians in the land of cedars no longer believe they have a future in the region.&nbsp;Catholic&nbsp;aid workers warn that entire communities risk disappearing from the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Father Jan Zelazny, director of the Polish section of the pontifical charity <a href=\"https:\/\/acninternational.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aid to the Church in Need<\/a>, met Christian communities as he traveled through&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;and Syria at the end of May. The priest said local families are struggling not only to survive the crisis, but \u201cto truly live,\u201d feeling trapped in a war they don\u2019t identify with and did not want \u2014 suffering its consequences every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The priest has spent years working at the intersection of scholarship, pastoral care and humanitarian aid for Middle Eastern Christians. But travelling through&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;and Syria he felt for himself violence between Israel and Hezbollah continues to destabilize southern&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;and deepen fears among Christian communities. \u201cYesterday we had drones above us,\u201d he said. \u201cToday there were attacks in&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;by Israel against Hezbollah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Christian communities under threat of Israeli attacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On May 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that military operations \u2014 started as part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/03\/attacks-on-iran-a-shocked-world-fears-consequences-of-ongoing-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Iran war<\/a> at the beginning of March \u2014 would intensify, claiming Hezbollah was not respecting the ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said Israel\u2019s military was not taking its \u201cfoot off the gas. On the contrary, I said to step on the gas even more,\u201d Reuters reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result, Father Zelazny said, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/04\/lebanese-christians-mourn-rising-death-toll-as-war-shatters-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">growing pressure on villages<\/a> near the southern border. \u201cIn some places, only small Christian towns remain,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Muslims left those areas. There are tunnels where Hezbollah fighters hide. The Christians stay and live in a kind of constant siege.\u201d Many refuse to leave, fearing that departure would mean permanent exile. \u201cThey say that if they leave, they will never return,\u201d Father Zelazny told OSV News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Church aid reaches some of the isolated villages through&nbsp;Catholic&nbsp;networks coordinated by Caritas and the apostolic nunciature in Beirut.&nbsp;ACN\u2019s director mentioned three communities in particular \u2014 Debel, Ain Ebel and Rmeich \u2014 where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2024\/10\/charity-workers-situation-in-lebanon-catastrophic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">humanitarian assistance<\/a> continues despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/03\/lebanese-maronite-catholic-priest-killed-by-israeli-tank-fire-in-southern-lebanon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mounting insecurity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the priest said the crisis is measured not only in destroyed buildings, but in ordinary lives abruptly broken apart. He described meeting a family displaced from the region near Cana in southern Lebanon. The father had worked for years in telecommunications before deciding to return to his hometown because of family illnesses. He sold everything, bought a small shop and started over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe shop had even begun to make a profit,\u201d Father Zelazny told OSV News. \u201cNine months later, instead of a shop there is one huge ruin.\u201d Now two families share an unfurnished apartment with four girls, a small boy and an elderly aunt. \u201cThey practically have nothing,\u201d he said. \u201cGarden chairs and mattresses on the floor are the main furniture they own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Young people despair that there is no future for them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For many Lebanese Christians, the future has narrowed into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/03\/us-israeli-war-with-iran-threatens-crisis-for-broader-asia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">questions of survival<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet Father Zelazny said the deeper danger is despair \u2014 especially among the young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe most painful thing is that when you speak to young people, they ask only about getting a visa,\u201d he said. \u201cThey do not see a future for themselves in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The summer holiday season has already begun in Lebanon, but for many children and teenagers, ongoing insecurity, airstrikes and economic collapse leave little freedom to enjoy it. Many spend most of their days indoors, with few safe places to go. \u201cWhat are young people supposed to do?\u201d Father Zelazny asked. \u201cThey sit at home, maybe go visit friends. Is it surprising that they think only about leaving?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Church groups are trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/03\/our-lady-of-lebanon-the-pope-and-the-power-of-music-during-war\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create alternatives<\/a>. He pointed to youth projects run by Franciscans and supported by Catholic charities, including recreational centers where children can play sports, swim or simply spend time safely together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Father Zelazny said Christians in the region need help \u201cnot only to stay alive, but to have a life.\u201d They want \u201ca future, a normal life,\u201d he told OSV News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why many of ACN\u2019s projects in Lebanon focus not on direct handouts, but on helping people earn income with dignity. During his trip, Father Zelazny visited artisans who create devotional items from cedar wood. Because Lebanon\u2019s cedar trees are protected, craftsmen use only carefully regulated branches gathered from maintenance pruning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Traveling through&nbsp;Lebanon\u2019s cedar region that gave the country its national symbol, Father Zelazny met a number of Christian artisans supported by&nbsp;ACN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRight now we are driving to people who prepare things for us that we later sell, so that we can help Christians who, because there are absolutely no tourists,&nbsp;simply&nbsp;have no way to survive,\u201d Father Zelazny told OSV News by phone May 27 from&nbsp;Lebanon. Local Christians producing rosaries, cedar wood carvings and small religious souvenirs were abruptly cut off from this source of income when tourists disappeared from&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;as fighting began in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Church fosters efforts for income generation, basic needs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In another initiative near a major Lebanese academic hub, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Syrian students and refugees work with a Syriac Catholic priest who is also an artist. They create mosaics from stones imported from all over the world. \u201cOne icon can provide them with dignified support for even a month,\u201d Father Zelazny said. \u201cWhy simply give money if they can work? They do not want charity. They want independence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That same logic guided a recent project with Greek&nbsp;Catholic&nbsp;sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, sheltering displaced families in their monastery in Harissa. The convent had originally been designed as a retreat house. Then war arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe sisters took in 14 families \u2014 41 people,\u201d Father Zelazny told OSV News. \u201cThey shared not only a roof, but also their garden and their food.\u201d One of the greatest ongoing challenges became electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lebanon\u2019s national power grid functions only intermittently, forcing many residents to rely on expensive fuel-powered generators. \u201cThe sisters could not afford the fuel costs anymore,\u201d he said.&nbsp;ACN&nbsp;approved funding for expanded solar panels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;there are almost 300 sunny days a year,\u201d Father Zelazny said. \u201cIt is better to invest once in solar energy than constantly spend money on fuel.\u201d The panels now allow the convent to function despite overcrowding and economic collapse. Even if the displaced families eventually leave, the infrastructure will remain for the local Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The priest repeatedly returned to one theme: Christians in&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;often feel trapped inside a conflict that is not theirs. \u201cIn the war between Israel and Hezbollah, they became like millstones caught in between,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is not their war, but they are its victims.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cThe world of values has collapsed,\u201d priest says<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is fatigue,\u201d Father Zelazny told OSV News. \u201cBut there is also something deeper. Before our eyes, the world of values has collapsed. International law no longer functions in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He spoke emotionally about watching the slow unraveling of a country he loves. \u201cLebanon&nbsp;showed to the world that people from different cultures and religions could live together,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now this is being destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet amid the destruction, he said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.maryknollmagazine.org\/2026\/06\/maryknoll-joint-leadership-statement-on-u-s-israel-war-on-iran\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">faith remains strikingly visible<\/a>. Pilgrims continue to gather at the shrine of St. Charbel Makhlouf and at&nbsp;Lebanon\u2019s Marian sanctuary of Our Lady of&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;in Harissa, while churches remain full despite the ongoing instability. Father Zelazny said he witnessed the same determination among Christians in Syrian cities of Aleppo and Homs. \u201cThose who remain endure because they believe,\u201d Father Zelazny said. \u201cWithout faith, this cannot be survived.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their needs, Father Zelazny said, are often painfully basic. In Debel, residents lack reliable access to water because damaged infrastructure no longer works properly. Local communities also struggle with garbage removal and clearing rubble from destroyed buildings amid ongoing restrictions and insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey have very simple dreams,\u201d Father Zelazny said. \u201cDreams for one or two days ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen aid workers arrived, the first question the children asked was whether they had chocolate,\u201d he said. Later, volunteers returned with large quantities of candy. \u201cThe joy of the children was enormous,\u201d Father Zelazny said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know someone may think this is small,\u201d he added. \u201cBut our whole reality is built from small things. And the fact that they dream about such small things shows the scale of the humanitarian tragedy there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Featured image: Displaced children look on as they ride on the back of a truck loaded with belongings on their way to their homes in southern Lebanon, amid a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, in Qasmiyeh, southern Lebanon, April 20, 2026. Many Christians in the land of cedars no longer believe they have a future in the region, Father Jan Zelazny, director of the Polish section of Aid to the Church in Need, told OSV News May 27 during his trip to the country. (OSV News photo\/Aziz Taher, Reuters)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cIt is not their war, but they are its victims,\u201d says a visiting priest, who notes that young people especially despair for the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":6967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_eb_data_table":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1053],"tags":[1314,2948,120,2947,2951,2952,2950,2949,2953,2954],"class_list":["post-6964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-aid-to-the-church-in-need","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-caritas","tag-debel-ain-ebel-and-rmeich","tag-father-jan-zelazny","tag-greek-catholic-sisters-of-our-lady-of-perpetual-help","tag-holy-spirit-university-of-kaslik","tag-iran-war","tag-israel-and-hezbollah","tag-katarzyna-szalajko"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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