Out of Lebanon

THE old man standing outside Brooklyn’s Maronite cathedral after Sunday liturgy is just back from a visit to his native Lebanon. His face is grim, his tone close to desolate. “It’s over for the Christians there,” he says. “There is no future. The Syrians have almost destroyed it for us. You can’t blame the Christians for wanting to leave.”

Inside the church, worshipers have just completed the Sunday liturgy, and are filing into the back hall for a special dinner honoring Lebanon’s national holiday. The congregation is composed of the descendants of Lebanese immigrants, and a healthy number of new arrivals from the old country— whose presence is a sign of decline in the homeland of the Middle East’s most vibrant Christian community.

RD

About the Author

Rod Dreher

Rod Dreher is the author of six books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Benedict Option (2017) and Live Not By Lies (2020).

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Christians in the Middle East

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THE old man standing outside Brooklyn’s Maronite cathedral after Sunday liturgy is just back from a visit to his native Lebanon. His face is grim, his tone close to desolate. “It’s over for the Christians there,” he says. “There is no future. The Syrians have almost destroyed it for us. You can’t blame the Christians for wanting to leave.”

Inside the church, worshipers have just completed the Sunday liturgy, and are filing into the back hall for a special dinner honoring Lebanon’s national holiday. The congregation is composed of the descendants of Lebanese immigrants, and a healthy number of new arrivals from the old country— whose presence is a sign of decline in the homeland of the Middle East’s most vibrant Christian community.