Today, the German-based Catholic charity, Aid to the Church in Need, (ACN) described the number of families affected by the ongoing military clashes in Lebanon  to be exceeding 100,000, most of them Christian.

ACN announced that, “While the number of casualties exceeds 300 dead and 900 wounded,  many of the some 100,000 affected families are taking refuge in public and private schools as well as in convents and other Church buildings,”
“At present, canned food, milk for children, detergents, soap, and medication are the items most urgently needed”.

ACN has sent 25,000 dollars as  an immediate response to an appeal launched by Issam Bishara, regional director of the Pontifical Mission.
Father Joaquín Alliende, ACN’s international ecclesiastical assistant, strongly appealed to Catholics world wide to “follow the call to prayer of the Holy Father for peace in the Middle East.”