The Catholics of Lebanon celebrated the solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin, this August 15, with colorful processions even in the difficult context of war and crisis that the country and the Middle East is going through.
Especially in Deir El Ahmar, a small Christian town in the north of the country, a multitude of families met and celebrated the Blessed Virgin with fireworks, food and traditional sweets.
Receive the main news of ACI Press by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social networks. Subscribe to our free channels today:
The image of the Mother of God was carried by the faithful on a platform adorned with the flag of Lebanon made of flowers, illuminated and accompanied by the banner of the Holy See, a copon and the figure of a great host with the initials JHS (Jesús guests Santa).
The children surrounded the image of the Blessed Virgin, which was preceded by a band that played trumpets, dishes and drums. In addition, the faithful threw Papers in their path from the balcony of their homes.
In June, Cardinal Bechara Botros Raï, patriarch of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, regretted that the Christians of the Middle East They are forced to leave the regionvictims of violence and war, because its presence decisively favors “the formation of moderate Islam.”
In Lebanon, according to estimates of the United States Department of State in 2022the Christian community represented 30.7% of the population, a considerably higher figure than that of other countries in the region.
Here, Christians have become a lighthouse of hope for the believers of the Middle East, unlike Iraq, Jordan and Syria, where they are considered second -class citizens.
“There are Christians and Muslims around the world, but in Lebanon it is a presence guaranteed by the Constitution and if a government is against coexistence, it is illegal. The Lebanese Constitution guarantees the presence of Christians,” explained the cardinal.
This coexistence, guaranteed even at the constitutional level, is an example that Cardinal Raï expects “that it remains like this”, so that both Christians and Muslims can remain in Lebanon.
Andrés Henríquez
I was born in Caracas in 1996. I am a writer for ACI Press and correspondent of EWTN since 2023. Since then, I cover events of the Catholic Church in Venezuela, Latin America and the world. I have more than 6 years of experience in bilingual media. In addition, in Venezuela I have worked from various fields for freedom and respect for fundamental rights in the country. I am a member of the Regnum Christi Federation since 2014.