During his weekly Wednesday audience, Pope Leo XIV mourned the loss of the Maronite priest, Father Pierre El Raii. Fr. Raii was the first Catholic priest to pass away from the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
POPE LEO XIV
In Arabic, “El Raii” means “the shepherd”. Father Pierre was a true shepherd, who always stayed beside his people, with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd. As soon as he heard that some parishioners had been wounded in a bombing, he rushed to help them without hesitation. May the Lord grant that the blood he shed be a seed of peace for beloved Lebanon.
This prayer for peace in Lebanon follows the Lebanese foreign minister's plea to the Vatican to intervene on behalf of all Lebanese Christians suffering from the recent attacks.
“I asked the Holy See to intervene and mediate to help preserve the Christian presence in those villages.”
The Vatican in turn confirmed that it was using all necessary diplomatic avenues to help de-escalate the situation in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, on the spiritual front, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the faithful to always turn to God in prayer during times of darkness and suffering, especially in the face of the unjust loss of children and innocent people.
His catechesis highlighted humanity’s hope for unity through faith in Christ, emphasizing that all people are called to be one in the Gospel, regardless of their country, culture, or status.
POPE LEO XIV
It is a great sign of hope—especially in our days, crossed by so many conflicts and wars—to know that the Church is a people in which there live together, by the power of faith, women and men different in nationality, language, or culture.
Pope Leo XIV’s address fell on the twelfth day of the war in Iran. As the Church reaches the midpoint of Lent, the pope encouraged all the faithful to renew their prayer, focus, and hope.
JPO
