A Maronite priest in southern Lebanon vowed to remain with his parish community despite escalating violence along the Israel-Lebanon border that has already claimed the life of his brother.
“We will remain despite the war,” said Maronite Chorbishop Maroun Youssef Ghafari, parish priest of Alma Sha’b, a Christian village about a mile from the Israeli border, according to a report by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Fighting along Lebanon’s southern frontier has intensified since the conflict in the Middle East escalated at the end of February.
Border villages once again find themselves in the path of airstrikes and artillery fire linked to hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
Some residents have fled. Others have stayed.
Christian villages near the border, including Qlayaa, Marjayoun, and Alma Sha’b, have long maintained small but rooted communities. Many residents say they fear losing their homes and farmland if they abandon them.
Fr. Ghafari told the pontifical foundation that experience weighs heavily on the community’s decision.
“Around 90% of the houses were destroyed when we were forced to leave in late December 2024,” he said.
“We believe that if we go again, for any reason, we will not be allowed to return and that whatever is left behind will be destroyed once more,” he added.
Before the latest escalation, Alma Sha’b had nearly 350 residents. About 100 remain today, including families, elderly villagers, and children.
“Since Feb. 28, 2026 [the beginning of US-Israeli military operations against Iran], we have been going through difficult times, because there have been strikes on the village and surroundings which have damaged some houses, although there are no casualties to report so far,” the priest said.
The violence has already touched the priest’s own family.
His brother, Sami Ghafari, 70, was killed March 8 while in the garden of his home in the village.
“To lose a Lebanese citizen who loved his village of Alma Sha’b and who was totally unrelated to the conflict and who, what is more, was my brother, has left us in the deepest sadness. War causes nothing but destruction, death, and displacement,” Fr. Ghafari said.
A day later, Israeli fire mortally wounded Maronite priest Fr. Pierre al-Raï in the nearby Christian town of Qlayaa.
“As a priest and as a Christian, I consider Sami a martyr. They killed him. Yesterday, Fr. Pierre al-Raï, the Maronite priest of Qlayaa, was also killed while serving in his parish. We pray that their souls may rest in peace and that their memory be a source of consolation and strength for our communities,” he said.
Despite the risks, Fr. Ghafari said the community has informed Church authorities, civil officials, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon of its intention to remain.
“We have taken the appropriate measures with the Apostolic Nuncio, the local Church, and civil authorities, and with the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), informing them that we are not going to be leaving, even though we know that in a time of war, there are no guarantees,” he said.
For the priest, staying is also an act of faith.
“We trust in divine providence and in the intercession of the Virgin Mary, our protector,” he said, noting that Christians “have nothing to do with this war.”
He warned that Christian communities along the border have already shrunk to a handful of damaged villages.
“If the universal Church does not care for these communities spread out near the border – which have been reduced to no more than 15 damaged Christian villages – they risk suffering the same fate as the Christians of the Holy Land,” he said. “We hope they do not disappear over time.”
Fr. Ghafari also thanked supporters assisting the village.
“In the name of the parish, and especially of the poor –those closest to Jesus – I wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to all who support us, especially to ACN, which has been by our side through the provision of material aid, food, and medical supplies,” he said.
“We remain united in prayer, with the Catholic Church, Christians from all over the world, and all people with common sense, for an end to this disaster,” he added.
According to information received after the report was written, Alma Sha’b is expected to be evacuated as the security situation continues to deteriorate.
