Archbishop Hanna Rahme of Baalbek Deir El-Ahmar, in Lebanon, seeks to keep up evangelisation efforts, welcome refugees, live alongside the Shias, and encourage hope in the midst of constant crises and successive wars. Placed under his pastoral authority is the Congregation of the Monks of Beit Maroun, Servants of the Cedar of Lebanon, a new congregation founded in 2019, which is currently composed of three priests and twenty brothers. What distinguishes this congregation is that one of their primary vows is evangelization, a mission that the local archbishop knows requires a solid academic formation, which is why he intends to send them to university for further studies.
Formation and vocations under Archbishop Hanna Rahme
The archbishop expressed his deep gratitude to Aid to the Church in Need, noting that the charity’s assistance has been absolutely crucial to helping the monks pursue their higher education. Currently, 15 brothers are actively studying, and some have successfully obtained partial scholarships due to their high academic prowess. However, these tuition reductions remain limited and do not cover the full costs, making ACN’s support essential in covering the remaining financial balances. In addition, the community is welcoming new vocations, with five novices set to begin their university preparation soon. Archbishop Hanna believes that the congregation has become highly popular due to its active presence on social media and its dedicated work with the youth, highlighting the competitions organized for local catechesis students.
The challenges facing the younger generation were a primary topic discussed during the archbishop’s recent visit to the charity’s international headquarters in Germany. Reflecting on this urgent pastoral task, he stated:
“Thanks to ACN we have summer camps for young people from all over Lebanon, as well as from Syria. This is one of the Church’s most important tasks. Economic collapse has led to despair, drugs become an easy and recurring escape, especially among the young displaced Lebanese. At the camps we give them meaning and hope. It is not an easy task. Currently most young Lebanese cannot even think of marrying and becoming independent, we hope to give them hope, and encourage them to remain in the country”.
Displacement and coexistence with Shias during the war
Regarding the displacement crisis, the archbishop noted that the expectation for Syrian refugees to return home following the new situation in Syria is only partially true. While Sunnis generally feel safe under the new government, many Alawites, Shia, and Christians prefer to remain in Lebanon because they still do not feel safe returning to their homeland. When asked about the ongoing war currently affecting Lebanon, Archbishop Rahme shared his hopeful and deeply spiritual perspective:
“I am 66 years old; I belong to a generation that has known nothing but war. I would never have survived the situation Lebanon is going through if not for Jesus. I am very lucky, I have hope, I cannot imagine what it must be like for people to go through this without Jesus in their lives”.
The prelate explained that the violence, which at the beginning was aimed exclusively at Shias, has now spread to Christian communities, pointing out that a Christian village in the south was bombed just today. While expressing a collective desire to end terrorism, he added that violence is never the answer and asked the UN to oversee an international dialogue. Coexistence with the Shia population has become both a challenge and an opportunity to see God at work in the midst of the war. Initially, many Christians found it hard to believe that the Shia, whom they traditionally see as being responsible for the conflict, were coming directly to them asking for humanitarian help. However, the Church has welcomed them with open arms, a gesture that has even led to several conversions.
To illustrate this shifting dynamic, the archbishop recalled a fellow priest’s experience with a displaced family from a Muslim village who arrived deeply worried about how they might be received by Christians. The priest flung open his doors and helped them rebuild their lives, and a few days later, he overheard the daughter telling her parents that the Christians are nice and genuinely like them, completely contradicting what her parents might have told her previously. Archbishop Hanna Rahme reflected that when you are raised in an isolated space, such as the village this family came from, you easily believe anything you are told. Ultimately, the war is bringing many Christians closer to the Shia, making the Church’s evangelisation mission in Lebanon much easier:
“The war has made many people realize that the Church’s charisma is to call for peace and coexistence, even when other voices may promote violence. It is a completely different outlook, and when the situation stabilises, I hope that many will take the step, despite the risk of losing their job or their families, because people are noticing this contrast”.
