Archbishop Paolo Borgia, Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon since 2022, highlights the urgent need for support after having visited southern villages to help distribute 15 tons of humanitarian aid from L’Œuvre d’Orient.
By Salvatore Cernuzio
“Now, right now, I heard a blast from the Nunciature… It means the music is starting again in Beirut,” Archbishop Borgia told Vatican News on late Friday from Harissa Hill, where the illuminated statue of Our Lady of Lebanon looks sorrowfully over the city.
Earlier, he attended the funeral of Father Pierre El Raii, the Maronite priest killed while assisting an injured parishioner in Qlayaa, before traveling to several southern villages with a truck carrying humanitarian aid.
Helping on the ground
Photos and videos of the Archbishop unloading packages in cassock, sash, and zucchetto went viral on Lebanese social media.
“We rolled up our sleeves to unload all the materials so we could get started,” he said. “Today we visited six villages and met with various communities: Maronite, mixed Christian, Orthodox, Greek-Melkite, Latin, and even groups with Druze and Sunni residents.”
The Apostolic Nuncio described the experience as “a wonderful moment of fraternity” and shared a tense but humorous moment: kneeling at the altar of a small village church, three mortar shells were fired. “Someone told me, ‘Your Excellency, they are welcoming you.’ We laughed about it…”
Trust in the Pope
Archbishop Borgia noted the strong local faith in the Holy See and the Pope.
“People needed support and, above all, a word from the Pope. They trust the Holy See and especially the Pope, whom they saw here in Beirut and with whom they immediately felt a special connection,” he said, recalling Pope Leo XIV’s visit in December 2025.
Bombed roads and blocked villages
The Archbishop expressed concern over the damaged infrastructure.
“It pained us that, after leaving the area,” he noted, “some roads were bombed. Qlayaa, after welcoming us, is now completely blocked, as are other villages nearby. They are even starting to cut off communication routes to the South… We hope the war ends soon and peace can return,” he said.
Fear and hope
The Nuncio recalled how Hezbollah’s attacks and Israel’s targeted bombings have forced mass displacement.
“Hezbollah,” he explained, “fires missiles and rockets toward Israel, sometimes frequently. Israel bombs selectively in Dahieh: targeting cars, apartments, hotel rooms, or houses. All Shiite neighborhoods in Beirut are nearly empty because of the mass movements.”
Around 800,000 people have registered for assistance on the Ministry of Social Affairs website, while roughly 120,000 are being helped in local centers.
“People in the centers,” Archbishop Borgia observed, “are afraid,” noting, “It’s a peculiar situation.”
“Let’s hope for the best,” he said.
