Lebanon's Christians face crisis

In the wake of the explosion in Beirut last August, life has become very difficult for the Lebanese people. The result of this has been that thousands of young Christians have started to leave Lebanon. Aid to the Church in Need is hard at work, in partnership with the Lebanese Church, to help secure a future for Christians in Lebanon.

By ACN Staff

Fr. Jad Chlouk outside of St. George’s Maronite Cathedral, Beirut. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

One of the general trends in the Middle East over the last century has been the dramatic decline of the Christian population. Lebanon has been one of the few Middle Eastern countries where Christians have been able to retain a substantial presence. This has recently been put at risk. Lebanon faces a crisis due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, and the disastrous explosion in Beirut’s port during August last year. This has caused a mass exodus of Christians from Lebanon. Aid to the Church in Need’s Tobias Lehner recently interviewed Fr. Jad Chlouk, the 38-year-old administrator of Beirut’s Maronite Cathedral of St. George, to discuss the plight of the Lebanese Christians.

Fr. Jad Chlouk. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Fr. Chlouk explains that everyone in Beirut is still in shock after the August explosion in the city’s port. There are constant reminders of what happened in form of ruined buildings and houses. The Christian quarter of Beirut was particularly hard hit, as it was right beside the waterfront. Amongst the buildings damaged was St. George’s Maronite Cathedral. Fr. Chlouk explains that the Church in Beirut faces a very difficult balancing act. They need to on one had focus efforts on securing damaged churches to protect the structures for the impact of winter, and then on the other hand the Church has to provide humanitarian relief to Beirut’s poor, who were hit very hard by the explosion. All of this has been made even more difficult by Lebanon’s pre-existing financial and monetary crisis, as well of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The worsening situation has had a very worrying impact on the Christian population in Lebanon. Fr. Chlouk explains:

The statistics show that more than 380,000 requests for immigration were presented to the embassies of the EU and the countries of North America, and that most of them were from Christians, who unfortunately now feel like strangers in their own home country. This is negatively affecting the whole Christian community, because it is losing most of its brightest and best, and especially its young people, who are supposed to be the future of the Christians here. Hence, the number of Christians in the country is decreasing day by day, and this is badly affecting the situation and causing still more pressure for those who remain, in a situation where they might soon suffer from persecution. This is not a conspiracy theory; this is the reality that we have witnessed in our closest neighbours, including Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan...

Damage to the roof of St. George’s Maronite Cathedral. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

Despite all this Fr. Chlouk is hopeful for the future. He knows that everything is in God’s hands, and that God will never abandon His people. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is determined to stand beside our Christian brothers and sisters in Lebanon. In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, ACN provided €250,000 worth of food packages to Beirut’s hungry. We have also pledged €5 million to help the Church in Beirut rebuild. St. George’s Maronite Cathedral is just one of the construction projects funded by ACN in Beirut. We invite all ACN benefactors and supporters to pray for the Christians of Beirut, and if you wish to help Christians in countries like Lebanon to please consider donating to ACN.