A Christian priest from the parish of Mazraat Yeshua was seen carrying a rifle through the Christmas Eve Divine Liturgy.
Video by way of @fouadkhreiss:
أبو كسم تعليقاً على فيديو كاهن مزرعة يشوع: السلاح الحقيقي للكنيسة هو الصلاة
أوضح رئيس المركز الكاثوليكي للاعلام المونسنيور عبده أبوكسم ان “ما يتمّ التداول به على شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي من مقاطع فيديو لكاهن في رعية مزرعة يشوع يحمل سلاحاً حربياً أثناء احتفاله بالذبيحة الالهية… https://t.co/POVQw0zaWI pic.twitter.com/zZ6eLgc8Ss
— مصدر مسؤول (@fouadkhreiss) December 25, 2024
The priest’s determination comes in opposition to a backdrop of accelerating violence and threats directed at Christian communities in Lebanon.
Current incidents, such because the vandalism of a Nativity scene within the city of Faraya, the place a handgun was positioned close to the show, have heightened fears among the many trustworthy. Residents responded by gathering in protest, ringing church bells, and calling for higher safety measures.
Lebanon’s demographic panorama has shifted considerably through the years, in keeping with ECSPE 2012 examine.
In accordance with the CIA World Factbook, the Christian inhabitants declined from roughly 46% in 2012 to 32.4% in 2020, whereas the Muslim inhabitants rose to 67.8%.
The priest’s actions, supposed as a press release of safety and resilience, have been met with disapproval from church authorities.
Monsignor Abdo Abu Kasm, head of the Catholic Media Middle, emphasised that such shows are “unacceptable” and reiterated that “the true weapon of the Church is the weapon of prayer.”
Abu Kasm commenting on the video of the priest of Mazraat Yeshua: The actual weapon of the church is prayer
The top of the Catholic Media Middle, Monsignor Abdo Abu Kasm, defined that “the movies circulating on social media of a priest within the Mazraat Yeshua parish carrying a navy weapon whereas celebrating the Divine Liturgy on Christmas Eve are unacceptable, though the priest supposed to precise that this weapon is a supply of warfare and doesn’t serve peace. Slightly, the true weapon of the Church is the weapon of prayer.”
He added: “After contacting the pastor of the diocese, His Eminence Bishop Antoine Bou Najm, he confirmed that he completely doesn’t assist this methodology that’s international to the face of the church, and he gave his strict directions to not repeat such actions inside the church.”
