Maronite Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay has issued an urgent call for peace following a deadly escalation of violence in Lebanon, as hundreds were killed in a wave of airstrikes this week.
In a statement released on 10 April, the head of the eparchy for Australia, New Zealand and Oceania said more than 160 bombs fell within 10 minutes, killing at least 300 people and injuring more than 1,000.
“At this sacred time in our liturgical year…our hearts are deeply troubled by the suffering of the people of Lebanon,” he said.
The bishop described Lebanon as “a nation already burdened by hardship” now facing “a new wave of devastation” in a war “not of its own making.”
The statement comes as regional conflict continues to escalate, with Lebanon excluded from a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is no ceasefire in Lebanon and that Israel will continue to strike Hezbollah with full force” according to The Guardian.
Bishop Tarabay called on the Australian Government to pursue “every diplomatic and humanitarian avenue” to advocate for an immediate end to the violence.
He also urged support for Lebanon’s sovereignty, including backing the Lebanese Government’s position that only the Lebanese Armed Forces should hold weapons.
“As a church, we cannot remain silent in the face of such injustice,” he said.
The appeal aligns with broader calls from the universal church for an end to the conflict.
The apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, has warned that “war is not the right path” and called for an immediate ceasefire, stressing the heavy toll on civilians and the urgent need for dialogue.
Pope Leo XIV has also called for a global vigil of prayer for peace on 11 April, a call echoed by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi.
Bishop Tarabay has invited Maronite parishes across Australia, New Zealand and Oceania to offer Divine Liturgies for peace over the weekend of 11–12 April.
“In this Season of the Resurrection, we proclaim that Christ has conquered death not by the sword, but by the Cross,” he said.
“May the Risen Lord … speak that same peace into Lebanon, the Middle East, and our world.”
