Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli Calls for International Intervention in Gaza Conflict

Königstein, Germany – One month after the Hamas attacks that sparked the war in Gazathe Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli (Lebanon), Youssef Soueif, calls on the international community to intervene in the conflict.

During a recent visit to the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Archbishop Soueif emphasized the need for a just and lasting solution for both Israel and Palestine, warning that the conflict could be prolonged and trigger a open war in the region.

“Make it stop. Let this war stop. Let it end now,” said a saddened Archbishop Soueif. “The international community has the obligation to implement the two-state solution. If not, it will be an open conflict for decades, or centuries, because no one wants to leave their country and their land.”

During the conversation, the archbishop of Tripoli, the only predominantly Sunni region in Lebanon, expressed his deep concern about the current situation and its repercussions throughout the Middle East. “We need the intervention of influential actors on both sides to stop the violence in Israel and Gaza. People are suffering terribly. And we are going back decades.”

The Lebanese know that violence is not a solution

The archbishop also described the psychological impact of the war on the Lebanese people, as well as the threat it poses to the stability of Lebanon and the region as a whole.

“People are afraid, very afraid. At this moment, there is no will for war in Lebanon. We have been at war for 17 years and the people of my country know that violence is not a solution. So we hope there is no war. We hope for a diplomatic solution,” he declared to ACN. “But we know that in the end, in this geopolitical game, others will make the decisions.”

In response to Pope Francis’ repeated calls for peace, Monsignor Soueif assured that all parishes and Catholic schools in his diocese pray with the same intentions and that he is promoting interreligious initiatives with the Muslim leaders of his region, with whom he maintains a relationship. good relationship.

Help to sustain Lebanon

Finally, commenting on the written statements of the Middle East bishops, in which they called on the international community to support Lebanon through an unprecedented political and economic crisis, the Maronite archbishop said: “We have to help keep Lebanon standing. We have to restore order and international confidence in the country. To do this, we need elections. Currently, we have a prime minister, but there is no president, so the country does not function. And that is very dangerous, not only for Lebanon, but for the entire region.”

Pointing to the fact that there are more refugees than natives in Lebanon, including 2.5 million Syrians and half a million Palestinians, the bishop concluded by reminding the world that “there is an enormous danger that everything will be destabilized. And the risk of mass emigration could affect Europe if the crisis is not resolved.”

ACN is committed to the Church in Lebanon. In 2022, ACN financed 217 projects in the country. Among them, 76 emergency relief projects, 24 construction and reconstruction projects, mass stipends for priests and training for seminarians.

—Maria Lozano