Lebanon: Franciscans Flee Israeli Bombs

Father Toufic Bou Mehri, a Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land and the "Latin" parish priest of southern Lebanon, has left the monastery of Tyre, Lebanon, with his confreres.
The Franciscan monastery of Tyre had welcomed families fleeing the destruction caused by Israeli bombs.
But now, the inhabitants of the Muslim quarter where the convent is located, have all fled.
"I said to my brethren: We are not here to be heroes, nor to guard the stones. If we are no longer needed, if everyone has left, let us leave. We will be more useful in Beirut," he told Tempi.it.
Father Toufic took only "what was necessary", the relics and the Blessed Sacrament, and left for the capital.
During the night, the Christian village of Deir Mimas, near the border with the Tel Aviv regime, where Father Toufic is the parish priest, was heavily hit by Israeli raids. The inhabitants were forced to flee.
They split up into many cars. The road to Beirut was also bombed.
At the age of five, Rev. Father Toufic …More