The broken windows of the Qornet Shehwan church. (Credit: NNA)
METN — The Notre-Dame-du-Secours Church in Qornet Shehwan, Metn area, was the subject of a vandalism incident on Tuesday, having had its windows broken, and the inside upturned and left in disarray. The incident was confirmed to L'Orient Today by the head of the Qornet Shehwan municipal council, Jean-Pierre Gebara. He suggested that the motive behind the vandalism appears to be theft due to items that are missing from the church. As of now, no suspects have been identified.
In response to questions about the history of such incidents in the area, Gebara said that this was a first for his municipality, which is home to six churches.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in thefts and other crimes in Lebanon, exacerbated by a severe economic crisis that has devalued wages in light of the national currency collapse. Several incidents targeting churches have been reported in recent months.
Just last Friday, intruders broke into the Notre-Dame de Doueir church in the village of Fidar, Jbeil district, with the intent to commit theft, but ultimately did not steal anything.