LEBANON: New spiritual centre builds hope among the living stones

By John Pontifex

Father Raymond Abdo, provincial of the discalced Carmelites in Lebanon

A groundbreaking scheme to provide spiritual and pastoral support to Christians in a mainly Muslim area of Lebanon is being hailed as a key initiative to stem the decline of the Church in the region.

The spiritual centre in Kobayat, northern Lebanon, will open its doors in a year’s time and will especially target lay people – seen as crucial for the revival of a Church under pressure from massive emigration of Christians, poverty and extremism.

Central to the project is the renovation of a former monastery and school buildings dating back to the 19^th century. A conference centre, seminar rooms, two refectories, dormitories and living quarters are also planned, as well as a chapel.

The scheme, which has already received £36,000 from Aid to the Church in Need, is being seen as a bold programme of Christian renewal in an area close to the Syrian border which is fraught with problems including political instability.

Father Raymond Abdo, provincial of discalced Carmelites in Lebanon, is coordinating the project, and he told Aid to the Church in Need: “We consider the centre and its work with lay people a priority for the development of our pastoral work.”

He added: “With declining numbers of faithful and an increase in Islamic fundamentalism, the material situation of the Church in Lebanon has suffered. But what we are now seeing is a rise in Christian awareness among the faithful – and to build on that we need to put more emphasis on lay formation.”

Mindful that Aid to the Church in Need is committed to ongoing support of this kind, Father Abdo went on to thank the charity’s friends and benefactors for their support for the scheme in Kobayat.

He said: “We are only able to work on the new centre in Kobayat because of Aid to the Church in Need’s help. I want to say thank you to the benefactors for what you are doing to support the Church in Lebanon.”

The initiative in Kobayat is inspired by the success of a similar Carmelite project developed in Hazmiye, just outside the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Since 2004, hundreds of lay people – including many youngsters – have received catechesis and courses in Carmelite spirituality, centring on the 16^th century Spanish mystic and doctor of the Church, St Teresa of Avila.

Both the Beirut and Kobayat centres are a response to a Church devastated by emigration. Father Abdo reported that the Christians in Lebanon had halved in number since 1970 and were now down to 35 percent of the total population.

He also explained: “Many Muslims do not accept us Christians. As a minority now, we do not feel accepted in our own society. We are witnessing a wave of Islamic fundamentalism.”

But he added: “Even if we have many problems, our Church is full of hope for the future. We are now more conscious of our role, which is to be witnesses of faith in Jesus Christ and his presence among us.”

Aid to the Church in Need sees support for the Church in Lebanon as crucial for the long-term development of Christianity across the Middle East.

Lebanon is a priority country for the charity, and last year the Church there received more than £250,000 in project support.

Tagged with

• Catechesis
• Construction
• Inter-faith relations
• Lebanon
• Persecution

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