The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the oldest and largest Irish Catholic organization in the US, has written to US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, urging the US to address the killing of Father Pierre al-Rahi in Lebanon and reaffirm protections for Christian communities in the Middle East.
Neil F. Cosgrove, Political Education Chair of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, sent a formal letter to Ambassador Huckabee following the death of Father Pierre al-Rahi, the Maronite Catholic priest who was killed in Qlayaa, Lebanon, on March 9 after Israeli tank fire struck a residential building where civilians had taken shelter.
According to local officials, Father al-Rahi had rushed to assist parishioners whose home had been struck moments earlier.
Cosgrove noted in his letter that Father al-Rahi's last words to the international community, spoken just a day before his death, serve as a testament to the tragedy of this killing: “None of us carries weapons. All of us carry peace and goodness and love."
Cosgrove said: “Father al-Rahi died doing what priests have done for centuries—running toward danger to minister to those in need.
“When clergy and civilians of any faith are killed, the international community has a duty not only to speak, but to ensure these acts are neither ignored nor repeated.”
Catholic priest Fr. Pierre Al Rahi, killed by Israel in Qlaya'a, Lebanon.
“When we defend our land, we do so peacefully; none of us hold guns. We only hold the guns of peace, goodness, love, and prayer.” pic.twitter.com/DO7BbYU984
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 9, 2026
In his letter, Cosgrove noted that the death of Father al-Rahi follows several other incidents involving Christian communities in the region, including the December 2023 killing of Nahida and Samar Anton within the Holy Family Parish compound in Gaza, and the July 2025 Israeli tank strike on that same church that injured parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli and killed three elderly civilians. In October 2024, the Melkite Catholic Church of St. George in Derdghaya, Lebanon, was destroyed in a missile strike that claimed multiple lives.
Cosgrove wrote: "The Christian community of the Middle East are currently being attacked on two fronts and find themselves in a precarious position from which they cannot flee.
"In southern Lebanon, faithful Christians like Father al-Rahi have refused evacuation orders because of a justified fear that if they abandon their ancestral lands, they will be seized by other parties—specifically Hezbollah militants who seek to take over Christian homes for military use.
"Similarly, in the West Bank, Christian communities like Taybeh are besieged by extremist settler groups who have already torched churches and cemeteries in a blatant attempt to purge the land of its non-Jewish residents."
Cosgrove continued: "The Hibernians believe that the United States has a special and solemn duty to protect these vulnerable and innocent communities, who serve as essential mediators and providers of social services for all in the region.
"The current silence from our government regarding the martyrdom of a priest serves only to embolden those who believe that Christian lives and holy sites are mere 'collateral damage.' There have been frankly too many apologies when Christians have been killed and no sign of remediation.
"As a non-partisan organization dedicated to the defense of the Church and freedom of religion, we ask that you use your office to officially condemn the killing of Father al-Rahi and demand concrete guarantees for the safety of Christian villages and institutions.
"History will judge us not only by the wars we fight but by the ancient communities we allowed to vanish under our watch."
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