In a war-damaged church in southern Lebanon, a Catholic priest says he found the consecrated Eucharistic bread intact after 47 days of abandonment, in what many believers are describing as a sign of hope in the destruction of war.
According to a report by ACI Prensa, a Melkite Catholic priest returned to his destroyed parish in Tbenine only to find the Eucharist preserved after 47 days of total abandonment.
Fr. Marios Khairallah said he entered St. George Church on April 17 following a ceasefire. But amid the ruins, the consecrated host remained untouched.
“After 47 days, there is no scientific explanation for why the bread did not spoil,” Khairallah said. “But for us, this is not strange, because we believe this is the body of Christ. This is our faith, it is neither new nor unfamiliar. We believe in God’s presence in the Eucharist.”
For Catholics, the moment cuts to the heart of belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In a place where human life had fled and destruction reigned, the Eucharist remained.
Khairallah described the discovery not just as unusual, but deeply consoling for his people.
“It is true that there is destruction in Tbenine. But there is also an encounter with Jesus… Jesus waited for us for 47 days, without human presence.”
The sign of hope did not end there. A statue of the Virgin Mary was also found still standing amid the devastation. An image the priest described as “the mother who awaits her children.”
Tbenine’s all Christian community with bout 55 Melkite Catholic families has been scattered by war. Many fled with nothing and now live in temporary shelters, schools, monasteries, or with relatives.
Basic necessities are nearly nonexistent. The town has no water, electricity, or internet, and the cold continues to deepen the hardship. Aid has been minimal, with only limited help arriving through a papal mission and individual efforts to supply medicine.
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