A gathering of religious, political and civil-society figures was held at the Le Gray Hotel in central Beirut under the title “Christian Conference in Support of the South,” organized by the Independents for Lebanon gathering. The conference brought together bishops and priests from Eastern churches, alongside MPs, political figures, academics, journalists and civil-society representatives.
The conference stressed that the suffering of southern Lebanon should not be treated as the concern of one community, region or political group, but as a national Lebanese issue. Participants highlighted solidarity with residents of the south, their return to their towns and villages, and the reconstruction of areas damaged by the conflict.
The significance of such a gathering goes beyond the conference itself. At a time of deep political and sectarian division, bringing Christian religious figures, politicians and members of civil society together around the people of the south sends an important message of national solidarity: southern families should not be left isolated in carrying the human and economic consequences of the conflict.
Supporting the people of the south — helping families remain connected to their land, facilitating the return of displaced residents and rebuilding destroyed communities — is ultimately a responsibility that concerns Lebanon as a whole, regardless of political disagreements over the wider conflict.
The gathering therefore represents an effort to keep the humanitarian needs of southern Lebanon at the centre of the national conversation and to reinforce the idea that the south and its people are an integral part of the shared Lebanese national interest.