A Vatican humanitarian convoy carrying the apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, was forced to turn back Tuesday, April 7, after becoming trapped in heavy crossfire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.
"The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel was intense. We waited a long time three kilometers from the village while hearing gunfire and explosions, but we could not continue and had to suspend the mission," Monsignor Hugues de Woillemont, general director of l'Oeuvre d'Orient, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
De Woillemont traveled to Lebanon as a representative of the French Catholic aid organization and of the Church in France "to celebrate Easter, to show support and friendship, and also to thank Christians for their witness."
Although the convoy was under the protection of soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, he said "security conditions were not sufficient for us to carry out our visit or deliver the aid, which was a great disappointment for the Christians we wanted to visit."
The aid was headed to Debel, a village just over a mile from the southern border with Israel in the Maronite Diocese of Tyre, where nearly 10,000 Christians live in about 20 parishes.
Residents there remain under an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, but many Lebanese Christians have chosen to stay in their homes.
"That is why we wanted to bring a truck of humanitarian aid and, above all, to show our friendship and closeness to the Christians there," De Woillemont said.
The region south of the Litani River makes up about 15% of Lebanese territory. Christian communities there are trying to remain in their villages despite the threat of Israeli annexation, and their situation reflects the long-standing vulnerability of Lebanon's Maronite Christians, who often bear some of the conflict's heaviest consequences.
L'Oeuvre d'Orient has distributed tons of humanitarian aid throughout Lebanon, but De Woillemont said the group, like other humanitarian and religious organizations, is reaching its limits.
"The situation is untenable," he said.
The convoy he joined was the seventh sent to villages in southern Lebanon.
"We are determined to return as soon as conditions allow," he said, while praising the courage and resilience of Christians in the land once walked by Christ.
On Wednesday, De Woillemont was able to visit three other villages with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, where they delivered 30 tons of humanitarian assistance — mainly food and hygiene kits — without incident.
"We were able to show our support and admiration for those who remain in their homes," he said.
"For us it was a moment to measure up close the restrictions and dangers they — the living stones — experience every day," he added after spending another night listening to the sound of detonations.
He said that in recent hours, the fall of about 100 Israeli projectiles in just 10 minutes overwhelmed hospitals and makeshift shelters.
"Recent Israeli bombings have affected more than 100 cities, causing more than 100 deaths and 800 injuries, including in Beirut. The situation is terrible and requires urgent help," De Woillemont said, lamenting that the ceasefire with Iran does not apply to Lebanon.
Lebanon is also facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with 1.2 million internally displaced persons — about 20% of the country's population of 5.5 million.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
