The General Prison Chaplaincy in Lebanon, emanating from the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops, Beirut and Mount Lebanon Governorates, celebrated Christmas Mass at Jbeil Gendarmerie Prison, in an occasion carrying spiritual, humanitarian, and human-rights dimensions. The event highlighted the importance of complementarity between spiritual care and the preventive role in protecting the rights of detainees.
The Mass was presided over by His Excellency Bishop Michel Aoun, Maronite Bishop of Jbeil and Supervisor of the Maronite Patriarchal Seminary in Ghazir, in the presence of the Jbeil District Commissioner, Ms. Natalie Marry El Khoury, Ms. Rida Azar, member of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture at the National Human Rights Commission, Captain Sleiman Al-Moudhafar, Commander of Jbeil Gendarmerie Prison, in addition to a number of priests, nuns, members of the General Prison Chaplaincy in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, and several detainees.
The participation of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture in this Mass came within the framework of reaffirming its role as the independent National Preventive Mechanism mandated to prevent torture and ill-treatment. This is carried out through its presence in places of detention, direct engagement with detainees, and listening to their conditions and demands, thereby strengthening a preventive approach based on safeguarding human dignity and respecting fundamental rights, in line with Lebanon’s national and international obligations.
Following the reading of the Holy Gospel, Bishop Aoun delivered a homily focusing on the meanings of Christmas as a message of hope, peace, and the triumph of human dignity. He stressed that the human being remains at the center of concern regardless of circumstances, and that detainees are not stripped of their humanity or their rights. He also commended the role of the General Prison Chaplaincy in accompanying detainees spiritually, psychologically, and socially through regular activities that help alleviate their suffering and strengthen their resilience.
The presence of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture at this event further underscored the importance of partnership with prison chaplaincies, as a complementary partnership that brings together humanitarian support and preventive human-rights monitoring. Such cooperation contributes to creating a more rights-respecting environment within places of detention through dialogue, trust-building, and coordination with relevant stakeholders.
At the conclusion of the Mass, Bishop Aoun, the priests, and members of the Chaplaincy, in the presence of Ms. Azar, listened to the detainees’ demands and questions, in a humane space reflecting the importance of attentive listening and direct engagement within prisons. Participants emphasized that such joint initiatives constitute a fundamental step toward improving conditions of detention, promoting a culture of human rights, and reinforcing the prevention of torture and ill-treatment in Lebanese prisons.
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