The Conference of Bishops of France calls on Catholics to gather togetherSaturday, 11 April, at 6 p.m.to pray for peace in Lebanon. In a statement issued on Thursday, his president, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, said his « sadness », his « indignation » and his « full solidarity » after the Israeli strikes of 8 April, which hit Beirut, its southern suburbs, the South Lebanon and the Bekaa. He condemned an operation which he considered « unbearable » and also called for support for the East Work to help the Lebanese people.
The call was officially launched by the Conference of Bishops of France on its website. In this text dated9 April 2026Jean-Marc Aveline writes that the massive Israeli strikes hit « without warning » several neighbourhoods in the heart of Beirut, as well as the southern suburbs of the capital, the South Lebanon and the Bekaa. He mentionedmore than 300 deathsand hundreds of wounded, who, according to his statement, added to1,500 victimsand1.2 million displaced personsSince the beginning of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict.
Cardinal Aveline uses very firm words. « On this day of mourning for the Lebanese people, I wish to express to them my sadness, indignation and full solidarity, » he wrote. He condemned « with the utmost firmness » this operation, which he described as « unbearable », as well as « the cynicism of its unfolding, at the very moment when a cease-fire between the belligerents entered into force ». He added that « the spiral of violence must cease » and that « international law must be respected ».
The central passage of the communiqué also gives its title to the text: « The security of one people cannot be achieved by maintaining the hatred of the other. By this formula, the presidency of the bishops of France places its reaction in a register of both moral and political. The message is not limited to spiritual compassion. It also aims at the logic of war itself, as Lebanon remains one of the main centres of regional tension.
A national call to prayer Saturday at 6 p.m.
The press release contains a specific slogan. John-Marc Aveline « invites all Catholics of France » to respond to Pope Leo XIV’s call by gathering to pray for peaceSaturday 11 April 2026 – 6 p.m.. So it is not just a declaration of principle, but an explicit appointment given to the faithful throughout the country around the Lebanese situation.
This initiative is part of a broader mobilization of the Church of France on the Middle East. The official page of the CEF communiqués recalls that a text had already been published on17 March 2026to call for prayer, fasting and solidarity in the face of war in the region. This Thursday’s appeal, however, marks a sharper tightening on Lebanon, following the strikes of 8 April and the new human assessment put forward by the Church of France in its statement.
The call to prayer is accompanied by a call for concrete help. The President of the Bishops of France encourages « those who wish and can » to support the Work of the East with their gifts, in order to help the Lebanese, the Christian communities of the Middle East and, beyond, « all peoples who aspire to live there in peace ». The press release refers directly to the collection of this organization.
An ecclesial word that hardens the tone after April 8th
The severity of the vocabulary used by Jean-Marc Aveline is notable. The president of the bishops of France speaks of an operation « perversely called eternal darkness, » of an « unbearable » violence and of a « cynicism » linked to the moment chosen for the strikes. He also writes that « Once again, Lebanon is the victim of the powerful of this world, but also the hostage of those who claim to defend it ». The latter formula broadens denunciation beyond the Israeli strike and refers to the wider tragedy of a country caught between power logics, regional war and political instrumentalization.
By choosing to publish this text as early as 9 April, and then to call publicly for a prayer gathering on 11 April at 6 p.m., the Conference of Bishops of France gives the Lebanese crisis national visibility in the French Catholic Church. Lebanon is not referred to as a distant conflict among others. It is presented as a mourning people, as a land of threatened coexistence, and as a spiritual and humanitarian emergency to which the Catholics of France are called to respond.
