Lebanon’s Christian youth face a crisis, forcing many to leave the Middle Eastern country. ACN supports Catholic university pastoral outreach to provide spiritual formation to young Lebanese Christians and help them stay in Lebanon.

By ACN Staff

Lebanon is the Middle Eastern country with the highest percentage of Christians, mostly Catholics, among its population. Over one-third of Lebanon’s population is Christian. Or was? It is hard to be sure now. Many young Lebanese people, particularly Christians, are leaving the country. This is mainly due to the economic instability in the country. Jobs are hard to come by, and the devaluation of the Lebanese currency has destroyed savings and made basic necessities out of the reach of many. Lebanon had previously acted as a bastion of stability for Christians in the Middle East. That is now under threat due to economic instability.

In this context, many young Lebanese Christians have tried to make their way through college to gain the skills they need to find a job and hopefully remain in Lebanon. Things are not easy. In many state universities, lecturers are on strike due to the failure of the government to pay them. In other universities, students are illegally charged $20 to sit an exam, which might not seem like much to some, but is a large amount in Lebanon, with monthly salaries in the country being about $50.

Things are slightly better in the country’s seven Christian universities, six Catholic and one Eastern Orthodox. For example, the lecturers are not on strike. Many can’t afford to travel to the university, so they give their lectures online. This can cause problems due to the country’s poor electricity supply, with many unable to afford generators. Given all this, it is not surprising that many college students are considering leaving Lebanon. This is the case for Stephen, who studies computer engineering and works 13-hour shifts to cover his college fees:

“Until three years ago I never thought of leaving, but these two last years were miserable. My father is a carpenter, he has had no work in the past five years. We have no more savings. We don’t have a choice; we have to leave. My parents don’t encourage me, but they wouldn’t mind my going.”

Another student, Maria, who studies architecture, summarised how many of the students feel with this simple sentence:

“We feel that our country doesn’t want us here.”

The Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Beirut, Monsignor Georges Bakouny, who also oversees pastoral activity in the Catholic university in Beirut, said he has never seen the economic situation in Lebanon so bad as it is now, even during the civil war.

One thing that helps make the students’ time in the university more bearable is the university pastoral service. One of the students, Jennie, tells us that the service really helped her stay in Lebanon:

“At the beginning of University, I was in a really dark spot, and this place took me out of it. I am staying in Lebanon because of this group. I’m scared I wouldn’t find this experience abroad. They are like a family for me.”

The service provides a space for socialisation and the opportunity to learn practical skills and prepare spiritual activities. The service has helped Jennie to learn how to forgive:

“Living with different communities is very difficult. It is easy to stir up memories of violence. Radicalisation is on the rise, even among people who didn’t live through the war. Even Christians are clashing. Every one of us is in survival mode. Even if reforms made the economic situation better, in 10 or 15 years it will happen again. There has been no reconciliation, no recovery from trauma. This place helped me understand and forgive the murder of my grandfather during the civil war.”

Given the context for Christian university students in Lebanon, the university pastoral service is a vital lifeline in enabling them to remain in Lebanon. ACN supports the service, and it is thanks to the support from ACN that the pastoral service can cover its annual budget. If you would like to help ACN to continue our work in supporting the Church to remain in the Middle East, please donate to our Christmas Appeal.