Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï. | Credit: Courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need

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By Andrés Henríquez, Jun 16, 2025

Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï, patriarch of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, lamented the decline of the Christian population in the Middle East, noting that the Christian presence in the region exerts a moderating influence on Islam.

“If this Middle East is emptied of Christians, then Muslims will lose their moderation,” the cardinal warned in an interview with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

“Many have had to leave Syria, because no one can live under war, under bombardment,” the patriarch stated from the episcopal see of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch in Lebanon.

In Syria, the economic, financial, and security situation combined with war has caused a large Christian exodus. “The positive side is that they have been able to restart their lives and have taken their faith around the world. The negative side is that the country is emptying of Christians,” said Raï, who called on states to change their perspective and take measures to stop this from taking place.

“It’s not about looking at the number of Christians but rather at the value that the presence of Christians brings,” he pointed out.

In Lebanon — the only country in the region where the Christian community is not a small minority — Christians have become a beacon of hope for believers in the Middle East, unlike Iraq, Jordan, and Syria, where Christians are considered second-class citizens.

“There are Christians and Muslims all over the world, but in Lebanon their presence is guaranteed by the constitution, and if a government were to act against this coexistence it would be outside the law. The Lebanese constitution guarantees a Christian presence,” the cardinal explained.

The prelate expressed his hope for this kind of coexistence in Syria and Iraq, “because this life together creates Muslim moderation,” he said.

According to ACN, in Lebanon, many Muslim families send their children to Catholic schools, “because they are models of coexistence.” Raï noted that in southern Lebanon, all the students in Catholic schools are Muslim, which represents an opportunity “to contribute the value of communal life, the value of moderation.”

“These schools are doing everything possible to remain open, especially in the mountains, for the good of the citizens,” the Maronite patriarch added.

The hard reality of Lebanese Christians

ACN noted that in May 2024, the World Bank warned that poverty in Lebanon went from 12% to 44% in 2022 across surveyed areas. The cardinal said the consequences of this reality are suffered equally by Christians and Muslims.

“Muslims get help from other Muslim countries, but the Christians in Lebanon can only count on the Church,” which has far fewer resources, and “that’s why they are destitute,” he lamented. “The Christians are poor, and that affects issues such as access to food, medication, and hospital care,” he added.

Despite the difficulties, the Maronite patriarch said that “our people are a people of prayer, a God-fearing people. Our churches are full of youth, of people who pray, and thanks to this prayer, Lebanon can rise again.”

“The Christians of the Middle East have a mission in the Middle East, to bear witness to Christianity in the Middle East, along with the Muslims, for this martyred Middle East. This is where our mission is, and this is where we will stay,” the patriarch affirmed.

Finally, he pointed out that Middle Eastern Christians are guardians “of the roots of Christianity in the Holy Land” and that the first communities to adopt the Christian faith are found in the region. “We should help them to remain and not leave,” he emphasized.