The Maronites

The Maronites are a Syriac Christian ethno-religious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean & the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church in full communion with the Pope & the rest of the Catholic Church.

Sui iuris (or sui juris) is legal self-rule. It is used in the Catholic Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) to denote the autonomous churches in Catholic communion.

The Maronites get their name from St. Maron (350-410 AD). The spread of Christianity was extremely slow in the Lebanese region. In the 5th century in the highlands, they were still “pagan.” St. Maron sent the apostle Abraham of Cyrrhus (known as the “Apostle of Lebanon”) with a mandate to convert the “pagan” residents of the region, renaming the Adonis River to the Abrahamic River in honor of the saint who preached there.

The Maronite Church, under the patriarch of Antioch, has branches in nearly all countries where Maronite Christian communities live, in both the Levant & the Lebanese diaspora.

The Maronites & the Druze founded modern Lebanon in Ottoman Lebanon in the early 18th century, through the ruling & social system known as the “Maronite-Druze dualism” in the Ottoman Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate. The Mount Lebanon Mustasarrifate was 1 of the Ottoman Empire’s subdivisions following the 19th century Tanzimat reform.

All Lebanese presidents, except for Charles Debbas & Petro Trad, have been Maronites as part of a continued tradition of the National Pact (an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multiconfessional state following negotiations between the Shia, Sunni, Maronite, & Druze leaderships), by which the prime minister has historically been a Sunni Muslim & the speaker of the Natinal Assembly has historically been a Shi’ite.

The Maronites belong to the Maronite Syriac Church of Antioch, an Eastern Catholic Syriac church using the Antiochian Rite, which traces its foundation to Maron, an early 4th century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The Maronite Patriarch is traditionally seated in Bkerke, north of Beirut.

The Maronite Church belongs to the Syriac Christian tradition & to the West Syriac Rite. (Also known as the Syro-Antiochian Rite or the West Syrian Rite. This is an Eastern Christian liturgical rite that uses the Divine Liturgy of St. James.) Classical Syriac remains the liturgical language of the Maronite Church, alongside Arabic.

In Israel, some members of the local Maronite community have adopted an Aramean identity & organized linguistic revitalization programs. The Aramean identity was officially recognized by the Israeli Minister of the Interior in 2014, allowing certain Christian families to register their ethnicity as “Aramean” rather than “Arab” or “Unclassified.”

A slight majority of the Maronites in Israel identify themselves as Arabs. The Arab identity is prevalent, especially among the young & among women.

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

Or enter a custom amount

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

Your contribution is appreciated.

RaiNews: Libano, la morte di padre Pierre El Raii, sacerdote maronita. Il dolore del Papa

Morto a Qlayaa, nel sud del Paese, mentre stava soccorrendo un parrocchiano. Il segretario di Stato Parolin: "Immane tragedia", il presidente della Cei Zuppi: "Grande tristezza"

Lebanon, the death of Father Pierre El Rai, a Maronite priest. The Pope’s grief.

Died at Qlayaa, in the south of the country, while assisting a parishioner. Secretary of State Parolin: “An immense tragedy,” Archbishop Zuppi of the Cei: “Great sadness.”

#Lebanon #PierreElRai #Maronite #Qlayaa #State #Parolin

https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2026/03/libano-la-morte-di-padre-pierre-el-raii-sacerdote-maronita-il-dolore-del-papa-d7d176d9-177d-4480-bd30-9747a0e09c47.html

Repubblica.it: Iran, Leone XIV: “Profondo dolore per il parroco ucciso in Libano e i molti bambini innocenti”

Parolin evoca un Medio Oriente svuotato di cristiani, Zuppi parla di “martirio” del sacerdote maronita colpito dagli israeliani mentre soccorreva un ferito

Iran, Leone XIV: “Deep sorrow for the murdered priest in Lebanon and the many innocent children.”

Parolin evokes a Middle East devoid of Christians, Zuppi speaks of the “martyrdom” of the Maronite priest hit by Israelis while assisting a wounded person.

#LeoneXIV #Lebanon #Parolin #MiddleEast #Christians #Zuppi #Maronite #Israelis

https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2026/03/09/news/iran_leone_xiv_parroco_ucciso_libano-425210635/

Today: Il Papa: "Profondo dolore per tutte le vittime dei bombardamenti in Medio Oriente"

"Papa Leone XIV esprime profondo dolore per tutte le vittime dei bombardamenti di questi giorni in Medio Oriente, per i tanti innocenti, tra cui molti bambini, e per chi prestava loro soccorso, come padre Pierre El-Rahi, sacerdote maronita ucciso questo pomeriggio a Qlayaa. Segue con...

The Pope: "Deep sorrow for all the victims of the bombings in the Middle East"

Pope Leo XIV expresses deep sorrow for all the victims of the bombings of these days in the Middle East, for so many innocent people, including many children, and for those who were assisting them, such as Father Pierre El-Rahi, a Maronite priest killed this afternoon in Qlayaa. Follows with...

#theMiddleEast #PopeLeoXIV #PierreEl-Rahi #Maronite #Qlayaa

https://www.today.it/mondo/il-papa-profondo-dolore-per-tutte-le-vittime-dei-bombardamenti-in-medio-oriente.html

Domani: L’Iran spara sulla Turchia. E in Libano l’Idf uccide un parroco maronita

L’arma intercettata dalla Nato a a Gaziantep, jet britannici abbattono droni diretti a Giordania e Bahrein. Erdogan agli ayatollah: «Basta con le provocazioni». A Beirut muore in un raid aereo padre Pierre El Raii, sacerdote maronita di Qlayaa. Il cordoglio del papa. Il governo libanese chiede di aprire un negoziato

Iran shoots at Turkey. And in Lebanon, the IDF kills a Maronite priest.

The intercepted weapon detected by NATO, a jet British aircraft shot down drones targeting Jordan and Bahrain. Erdogan to the ayatollahs: “Enough with the provocations.” Father Pierre El Raii, a Maronite priest from Qlayaa, dies in an air raid in Beirut. The Pope’s condolences. The Lebanese government is calling for negotiations to be opened.

#Turkey #Lebanon #Maronite #British #Jordan #Bahrain #Erdogan #PierreElRaii #Qlayaa #Beirut #Lebanese

https://www.editorialedomani.it/politica/mondo/iran-turchia-israele-idf-uccide-parroco-maronita-v3g2ywde

Il Fatto Quotidiano: Ucciso in un bombardamento in Libano il parroco di Qlayaa, stava soccorrendo un parrocchiano ferito

Il parroco maronita di Qlayaa, in Libano, padre Pierre El Rai è morto all’età di 50 anni durante un bombardamento. A riferirlo ai media vaticani è stato padre Toufic Bou Merhi, francescano della Custodia di Terra Santa, parroco dei latini a Tiro e Deirmimas. Secondo quanto riferito, un primo attacco aveva colpito una casa della sua zona, tra le montagne del sud del Paese.
Il prete si era allora diretto a soccorrere un parrocchiano ferito, ma un successivo attacco non gli ha lasciato scampo. Il sacerdote è rimasto ferito, “ma non ce l’ha fatta”. Padre Toufic ha raccontato: “C’era stato un primo attacco, che aveva colpito una casa nella zona della sua parrocchia, in montagna, ferendo uno dei parrocchiani”. “Padre Pierre è andato di corsa con altre decine di giovani a soccorrere il parrocchiano: è allora che c’è stato un altro attacco, un altro bombardamento sulla stessa casa. Il parroco è rimasto ferito. È stato portato in un ospedale della zona, ma non ce l’ha fatta. È morto quasi sulla porta dell’ospedale”.
Il francescano si è rivolto alla propria comunità, sottolineando la grave situazione di instabilità e paura in cui versa la zona: “Stanno piangendo per la tragedia e al contempo hanno molta paura. Finora la gente non ha voluto lasciare le proprie case nei villaggi cristiani, invece in questa situazione tutto si è capovolto. Lasciare casa vuol dire andare a vivere per strada o cercare di affittare un’altra abitazione, ma la gente non ce la fa, anche per la situazione economica che già viveva il Paese”. Padre Toufic ha ricordato che la scorsa settimana “era stata colpita direttamente anche la casa di un altro sacerdote: la gente allora ha resistito ma adesso, con la morte di padre Pierre, non so quanto possa andare avanti”.
L'articolo Ucciso in un bombardamento in Libano il parroco di Qlayaa, stava soccorrendo un parrocchiano ferito proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

The priest of Qlayaa was killed in a bombing in Lebanon, while assisting a wounded parishioner.

The Maronite priest of Qlayaa, Lebanon, Father Pierre El Rai, died at the age of 50 during a bombing. This was reported to Vatican media by Father Toufic Bou Merhi, a Franciscan of the Custody of the Holy Land, parish priest of the Latins in Tyre and Deirmmis. According to reports, an initial attack had struck a house in his area, among the mountains of southern Lebanon.

The priest then went to assist a wounded parishioner, but a subsequent attack left him without a chance. The priest was injured, “but he didn’t make it.” Father Toufic recounted: “There had been an initial attack, which had hit a house in the area of his parish, in the mountains, injuring one of the parishioners.” “Father Pierre rushed with dozens of young people to assist the parishioner: it was then that another attack occurred, another bombing on the same house. The priest was injured. He was taken to a local hospital, but he didn’t make it. He died almost on the doorstep of the hospital.”

The Franciscan turned to his community, emphasizing the serious situation of instability and fear in which the area finds itself: “They are crying out for the tragedy and, at the same time, they are very afraid. Until now, people didn’t want to leave their homes in the Christian villages, instead, in this situation everything has turned upside down. Leaving home means living on the streets or trying to rent another dwelling, but people can’t manage it, even considering the economic situation that the country was already experiencing.” Father Toufic recalled that last week “another priest’s house had also been directly hit: people had resisted then, but now, with the death of Father Pierre, I don’t know how much longer they can go on.”

The article “Killed in a Bombing in Lebanon: Qlayaa Priest Dies While Assisting a Wounded Parishioner” comes from Il Fatto Quotidiano.

#Qlayaa #Lebanon #Maronite #PierreElRai #Vatican #TouficBouMerhi #Franciscan #Latins #Deirmmis #Toufic #Pierre #Christian #IlFattoQuotidiano

https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2026/03/09/parroco-ucciso-bombardamento-libano-notizie/8318424/

Maronites are a Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group primarily found in Lebanon, tracing their origins to Saint Maron, a 4th-century hermit.

The Maronite Church has a rich history marked by resilience against invasions and a strong cultural identity, often linked to the mountainous regions of Lebanon.

The community has maintained its traditions and liturgy, which includes prayers in Aramaic, reflecting their ancient roots.

#history #Maronite https://mastodon.social/@ErikJonker/113299811031390344

For Lebanon. My watercolor of the Theotokos in both eastern and western colors. She is depicted over Beirut. My prayers are for all of you.

#lebanon #theotokos #art #watercolor #watercolour #orthodox #maronite #artist #rolandelli