#Lebanon – Father Pierre al-Rahi (also spelled Pierre el-Raï or Pierre al-Rai), a Maronite Catholic priest, was killed on March 9, 2026, in the southern Lebanese village of Qlayaa.
Qlayaa is a Christian-majority (Maronite) village of roughly 8,000 people in the Marjayoun district, located a few miles from the Israeli border. It had largely stayed out of prior rounds of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
An Israeli Merkava tank fired on a house on the eastern/outskirts edge of Qlayaa around 2 p.m. local time. The first shell wounded the elderly homeowner, Clovis Boutros, and his wife (some accounts describe them as an elderly couple).
Father al-Rahi and several other men rushed to the house to help the injured and assess the damage.
A second shell then struck the same house while rescuers were inside, wounding the priest (reportedly with a severe leg injury) and others. He was taken to Marjayoun State Hospital but bled to death from his injuries later that day.
The incident occurred amid escalated Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon, including evacuation orders south of the Litani River as part of actions against Hezbollah. The village had received warnings to evacuate, but many residents, including priests like al-Rahi, had publicly refused and pledged to stay with their community.
Father al-Rahi served as the parish priest of St. George Church in Qlayaa. Just days earlier, on March 7 or so, he participated in local gatherings where residents voiced their determination to remain in their homes despite the risks. He was remembered by parishioners as a dedicated shepherd who encouraged people to stay and who lived up to his commitment to remain with them.
His death drew widespread mourning in the village. His funeral took place around March 10–11, 2026, with villagers expressing shock that the conflict had reached their community, which had sought to stay neutral or peaceful.
U.S. Maronite bishops expressed condolences and called for prayer, dialogue, and solidarity. Pope Leo praised him as “a true shepherd” who stayed with his people “with the love and sacrifice of Jesus the Good Shepherd,” highlighting his heroic actions in aiding the wounded.
Residents and Church figures noted the profound impact on the Christian community in southern Lebanon, with some describing it as bringing the wider war directly to a village that had tried to avoid involvement.
Pope Leo XIV responded to the death of Father Pierre al-Rahi (also spelled El-Rahi or al-Rai) with expressions of sorrow and praise on two main occasions shortly after the March 9, 2026, incident.
The Holy See Press Office released a statement conveying the Pope’s profound sorrow for victims of recent bombings in the Middle East. It specifically mentioned:
“Pope Leo XIV expresses profound sorrow for all the victims of the bombings in these days in the Middle East, for the many innocents, including many children, and for those who were helping them, such as Father Pierre El-Rahi, the Maronite priest killed this afternoon in Qlayaa.”
The statement also noted that the Pope was following events with concern and praying for an immediate end to hostilities.
Father Pierre al-Rahi received a public funeral on March 11, 2026, in his parish village of Qlayaa, southern Lebanon.
Image: Father Pierre al-Rahi seen during his service as an ordained priest on an unknown date.
