Pope Leo XIV surprised 13 priests from southern Lebanon by joining their scheduled video call with the Vatican’s ambassador to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, on Wednesday. The pontiff delivered a message of peace and hope, assuring the clergy of his prayers and expressing his wish for peace to prevail along the volatile frontier near the Israeli border.
The priests, from villages including Rmeich, Ain Ebel, Debel, and Marjayoun, were visibly moved by the encounter. Father Najib al-Amil, parish priest of Rmeich, said the pope gave them peace and his blessings, adding that his words were reassuring as they live in constant worry. The pope spoke in French during the short call, urging the priests to stay in their hometowns and pray for peace.
The call came amid ongoing tensions in southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17. The Israeli military recently demolished a Catholic convent in the border village of Yaroun, according to local officials and Lebanon’s state news agency. The military said it damaged a house without religious signs while destroying Hezbollah infrastructure, but released photographs of another building at the site. The incident followed widespread condemnation over images of an Israeli soldier wielding an axe against a fallen statue of Jesus in the village of Debel.
