Lebanon - Country profile

As Christians emigrate from an increasingly Islamicised Lebanon, the outlook for the Church is uncertain in a country with a uniquely strong and rich Christian culture.

In 2009 Fr Samir Khalil SJ, founder of the Centre for Arab Christian Research and Documentation, reported that Christians had fallen to well below 50 percent of the population as the faithful leave for countries with larger Christian populations. (Source: Lebanon Daily Star, 28/09/09)

Violence is also a problem – shortly before Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir’s visit to the Beqaa Valley to consecrate a new church in June 2010, a bomb exploded killing one person and injuring two others. According to some sources, the prelate was the intended victim.

While religion continues to be a sensitive issue, the state has taken steps to ease tensions. In 2009 Interior Minister Ziad Baroud announced that citizens would no longer have religion included in their Vital Statistics files.

Despite religious difficulties, article 9 of the Constitution establishes the state’s respect for all religions and guarantees them autonomy for issues such as marriage and the family. Lebanon remains a leader in the Middle East with regard to respect for religious freedom. Faith groups are able to organise their own schools, associations and courts.

Listen to a talk about Lebanon by Aid to the Church in Need's Neville Kyrke-Smith

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Religious communities are also represented in parliament according to fixed quotas while the president of the republic must be a Maronite Catholic, the president of the Council of Ministers a Sunni Muslim and the parliamentary Speaker a Shiite Muslim.

However there are moves towards secularisation, which many Christians fear would allow the Muslim majority to dominate the main institutions of the state and of the administration.

At the start of 2011 there were up to 50,000 Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, many of them Christians, but they have been refused temporary legal status. Many may be returned home against their wishes if the authorities apply stricter policies towards them. (Source: 2010 UNHCR country operations profile for Lebanon)

Key projects

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  Construction of a church in Jdeideh-Fakiha

  Jdeideh-Fakiha is a very poor village and few of its 5,000 inhabitants have had any formal education. Around 70 % of the population are Christians. Thanks to you, building work can now be completed on the parish church of St Anthony. Beyond its core use of the celebration of the liturgy and the sacraments, the new church will help to cement the Christian identity of the population and to act as a centre for major communal events. Make Donation

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  A multipurpose community centre for Asnoun-Zghorta

  Asnoun in northwest Lebanon is a Maronite Catholic village of around 400 inhabitants who live a very modest existence. The Maronite Catholic Church wants to be able to provide good care for them by building a multipurpose parish centre. Two generous private donations mean the structure of the building is now finished. And thanks to you, they will now be able complete the interior, together with all the doors and windows. Make Donation

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  Help for Iraqi refugees in Lebanon

  Iraqi Christians refugees in Lebanon often have to endure years of living on the margins. Sister Hanan Youssef of the Good Shepherd Sisters runs a small clinic in a quiet suburb of Beirut. The sisters work round-the-clock, providing food, baby milk, inoculations and other medicines. "They are in extreme need!" says Sister Hanan regarding the plight of the refugees. None of the Sisters’ work would be possible without your generosity. Make Donation

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  Catholic counselling centre for couples and families

  The Marian movement ‘La Libanaise – Femme du 31 mai’ (The Lebanese Woman – Woman of 31 May) helps those undergoing marriage difficulties. They are seeking to establish a new counselling centre in Daraoun, by refurbishing an old monastery. Cardinal Robert Sarah, writes, "In view of the visit to Lebanon by the Holy Father and as a sign of his care and respect for the Lebanese people, who have suffered for so many years from war, … we would be grateful for the support of ACN for this project." Make Donation

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  Air conditioning for St Anthony’s in Mastita

  The parish of St Anthony in Mastita sits right on the Mediterranean coast. Since 2007 the parishioners have been able to benefit from a church of their very own; which is in fact a simple multipurpose building. Thanks to your kindness, they will now benefit from a new generator and an air-conditioning system; meaning that mass-goers will no longer have to endure the bitter cold in winter and the extremes of heat in summer. Make Donation

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  A parish hall for Maronite Catholics in Southern Lebanon

  The Maronite archieparchy of Tyre is one of the southernmost in Lebanon. The Maronite Catholics are of Syriac origin and among the most ancient religious communities in Lebanon. Your generosity has enabled them to build a new parish hall such that they are able not only to meet together for the celebration of the Liturgy but also to have a place for other communal activities. It is used above all by children and young people. Make Donation

Last updated: 24/10/2011