Following is the text of the appeal issued by  the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) on the current conflagration in Lebanon dated April 3, 2026:

In these holy days, beginning with the remembrance of Christ’s entry—the King of Peace—into the Holy City, and extending through the Way of the Cross, from Golgotha to the Crucifixion and Resurrection, our attention turns to what is happening in the Middle East. We ask the Lord God to pour His peace upon this wounded land and its suffering peoples, and to dispel the darkness of violence with the light of His Divine Resurrection.

As we follow events with deep concern, we look especially to South Lebanon, the land visited by our Lord Jesus Christ, whom He blessed and praised the faith of its people. The people of the South have long suffered, repeatedly, from the devastations of war, violence, and displacement, and they have made enormous sacrifices to cling to their land and dignity.

Today, as the people of the South face renewed serious threats to their security, stability, and very existence, we express our full solidarity with them and salute their steadfastness and attachment to their land, despite harsh circumstances.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) strongly condemns all forms of violence and escalation targeting innocent civilians and emphasizes that human dignity and safety must remain central to all considerations.

The MECC also calls upon the international community, and all political and humanitarian authorities, to fully assume their responsibilities in:

1. Protecting human life as an absolute priority, as the lives and safety of civilians must remain above all else.
2. Rejecting forced displacement in all its forms, in accordance with the emphases of His Holiness Pope Leo, their Beatitude the Patriarchs, and all spiritual leaders, and stressing the right of people to remain in their villages with dignity and security.
3. Urging the Lebanese state to do everything possible to protect its citizens and take necessary measures to ensure them a minimum level of safety and stability.
4. Ensuring effective international protection, calling on the international community and relevant bodies to secure real protection for civilians, guaranteeing respect for the rules of international humanitarian law.
5. Upholding human dignity in times of conflict, because leaving people in fear, or forcing them to flee, violates their dignity and fundamental rights. From this perspective, church leaders in Lebanon emphasize that peace begins with protecting human beings, and land is preserved only by its people.

The current situation in South Lebanon directly threatens the right to life, safety, and remaining on the land. Protecting civilians is therefore not optional, but a duty; preventing their displacement is not merely a demand, but a sacred existential right entrusted to the international community, decision-makers of international bodies, humanitarian organizations, church institutions, political authorities, and media.

Finally, we raise prayers that the peace of Christ may fill everyone’s heart, and that God grants strength and consolation to all who are suffering. In these holy days, as we contemplate Christ’s Cross leading to the resurrection, we lift our hope that the suffering of our peoples will transform into a new dawn of life, and that from the midst of suffering a true resurrection may emerge, bringing peace, justice, and dignity to all the children of this region.