ASIA/LEBANON - The Christian village of Rmeish on the brink of the abyss: "we too ask for the miracle of peace"

by Gianni Valente

Rmeish (Agenzia Fides) - Israel is on the other side of the hill, less than two kilometers as the crow flies. In the middle of this border area, which has already become the scene of a direct conflict between the Shiite militias of Hezbollah and the soldiers of the Israeli army, the Christian village of Rmeish still hovers between life and death that already surrounds it. Until a few weeks ago, the village had more than 11,000 inhabitants. Now there are fewer than 5,000. Many - especially families with sick people and small children - have decided to leave the region, like a million new displaced Lebanese - Shiites, Sunnis and Christians - and have fled to areas considered "safer" before the feared "land offensive" could block the escape routes.

Those who have not left want to stay and move forward, despite everything. They pray every day to Jesus, Mary and their dearest saints, asking that the whole village, in its helplessness, continues to be protected from drones, rockets and artillery fire. Like an island of peace in the midst of storms, devastation and carnage.

Abuna Toni Elias, one of the village's four Maronite priests, keeps watch in the evenings with about 30 young men on the access roads to the village so that they can warn everyone in case of danger. "I call these young men 'morning guards'. They are like peaceful, unarmed sentries who monitor what is happening around the village to see if there is any danger."
During the conversation with Fides, explosions and grenade explosions can be heard in the distance. "This happens every evening. Perhaps the Israeli soldiers are already on the other side of the hill. So far we have not seen them. But we have heard the sound of tanks moving along the roads that lead to other villages."

Rmeish was also drawn into the war that began after the massacres of Israelis on October 7, 2023 in the border areas between Lebanon and Israel. Since then, everything has changed. Schools are closed, there is no work, and many people have managed to get by thanks to the support of Caritas Lebanon and other aid organizations.

"When the Shiite Hezbollah militiamen started firing rockets at Israel," says Father Toni, "some of us raised our voices to say that nobody wanted this war and that we would not help the Palestinians in Gaza from here and in this way." And when Israeli artillery shelled the cultivated areas around Rmeish, the residents, with the mediation of the Lebanese army, asked the Hezbollah militiamen not to fire their rockets from their village. They did not want Israeli rockets to hit their homes in a war that was not their own.

When the Israeli army began Operation New Order in Lebanon two weeks ago, bombing Hezbollah positions, killing its militiamen and its leader Nasrallah, and causing hundreds of civilian casualties, many Shiite and Christian villages near Rmeish were also devastated and are now deserted. "There are now as many ruins, as many destroyed places as in Gaza, even in our area," stresses Father Toni. And he says that the Israeli army has also issued evacuation orders to the Christian villages from whose lands Hezbollah had launched missiles.
Along the entire border strip, the residents are only left in Reimsh and in one other Christian village. The rest is deserted land. "Apart from us, there is not a soul to be seen. Even the regular army has been ordered to retreat behind the so-called 'blue line'."

While everyone is preparing for the worst, Father Toni Elias admits that "we do not understand what is behind this and where it will lead us." As for relations with the Shiites, he recalls the good friendship that existed between the different villages before the new war. "We belong to the same people, we cannot come into conflict with them," he reiterates. But he also laments that the land of Cedars "has been torn to pieces." "Now we are also wondering what will happen when the war is over. How will we be able to continue. That is why we are demanding that a new President be elected, because we have not had one for two years. We have no Head of the nation and that speaks volumes about our weakness," he warns. Father Toni also describes the suffering of the families who fled at night and continue to sleep in their cars while bombs fall on Beirut and there are not even mattresses in the schools and refugee shelters.

“In Rmeish,” adds the Maronite priest, “we are now like a small boat in the stormy ocean, we ask Jesus to be with us". The inhabitants of Rmeish know that Pope Francis will pray for peace on Sunday in the Roman Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and that he has called for a day of fasting and prayer for October 7. "We too," adds Father Toni, "entrust ourselves to the Lord, to his mercy and protection. We pray for the deceased of all faiths, including Christians. Just yesterday two parents and their son died nearby, hit by a missile. May the Lord welcome them in paradise". (Agenzia Fides, 3/10/2024)

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oriental churches

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middle east

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wars

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shi'ites

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