(OSV News): “As the United States seeks a negotiated end to the war in Iran, I call on President Trump and the international community to ensure that the people of Lebanon receive greater access to humanitarian assistance, including food and medical supplies, especially in the south,” said Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles in a statement on April 9.
Bishop Zaidan, chairperson of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, said he was “grateful” for a ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran.
That pause came after a last-minute suspension of Trump’s threat on April 7 that “a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz that day. Trump’s ultimatum drew widespread outcry in the US and internationally, with Pope Leo calling it “truly unacceptable” from a moral standpoint, as well as under international law.
However, Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, where the militant group Hezbollah is based, have continued. On April 8, Israel launched a massive blitz after initial reports claimed Lebanon was included in the ceasefire.
…I call on President Trump and the international community to ensure that the people of Lebanon receive greater access to humanitarian assistance, including food and medical supplies, especially in the south
Bishop Elias Zaidan
Israeli bombardments since March, have killed more than 2,000 people, displaced over a million, and devastated communities as of April 15.
Bishop Zaidan said he was “disappointed” to learn that “the agreement does not cover Lebanon, and thus falls short of encompassing the entire region where the conflict has been raging.”
On April 9, Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, later ordered his Cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanese officials, but insisted that “there is no ceasefire in Lebanon.”
Up to that point, Israel’s government had refused to acknowledge Lebanon’s requests for direct dialogue regarding a French government peace plan that would end the war and normalise relations between the two countries.
European nations have denounced Israel’s ongoing campaign in Lebanon, saying it is imperilling the ceasefire reached by the US and Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and provide a chance for diplomacy to end the war.
On April 9, BBC News reported that the World Health Organisation said Lebanese hospitals may soon run out of critical medical equipment as they work to care for those injured in recent Israeli strikes.
I acknowledge that the people of Israel have the right to live in peace, as well as the innocent Lebanese civilians who are currently suffering from lack of food, medical supplies, and from paralysing fear
Bishop Zaidan
As at April 10, more than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon amid the war, with over 5,800 wounded, according to the country’s health ministry.
“I acknowledge that the people of Israel have the right to live in peace, as well as the innocent Lebanese civilians who are currently suffering from lack of food, medical supplies, and from paralysing fear,” Bishop Zaidan said.
He also noted that “distressingly, over one million people, including 370,000 children, have been displaced by the fighting, in what is becoming one of Lebanon’s most acute internal displacement crises in recent history.”
Citing remarks he made in 2024, he said that “for peace in Lebanon to take root, it is imperative that all parties work toward the full and immediate disarming of Hezbollah,” the Iran-backed Shiite militia based in Lebanon and a dominant military force in that country.
May Our Lady of Lebanon, Queen of Peace, pray for her children in Lebanon and for the peace of the entire world
Bishop Zaidan
The bishop also advocated for the “implementation of the UN resolutions concerning Lebanon.” Among them is UN Security Council Resolution 1701, unanimously adopted in 2006 to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel through a permanent ceasefire and the creation of a buffer zone.
“Hopefully, after that, the governments of Israel and Lebanon can sign an agreement for lasting peace,” Bishop Zaidan said.
In his statement, he quoted an Easter message Pope Leo had issued to Lebanon’s Christians, which was signed on the pope’s behalf by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“May you, in the midst of feelings of pain, anxiety, and mourning, come to know in your hearts a deeper joy: Jesus has gloriously triumphed over death,” quoted Bishop Zaidan in his statement. “It is a joy that comes from heaven and that nothing can take away.”
The bishop added, “May Our Lady of Lebanon, Queen of Peace, pray for her children in Lebanon and for the peace of the entire world.”
