From Christian to Majority-Muslim: Lebanon’s Cautionary Tale for Europe

hristians in Lebanon have declined from a demographic majority to a minority. 

Lebanon was majority-Christian starting from the first century (when Christianity was introduced by figures such as St. Peter and St. Paul) until the mid-20th century. Mount Lebanon, which remains the Christian heartland of the country, is frequently mentioned in the Bible.

Lebanon was conquered by the Arab Islamic Rashidun Caliphate in 636 AD following the defeat of the Christian Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire at the Battle of Yarmouk. The Ottoman Empire later occupied Mount Lebanon from its conquest in 1516 until the end of World War I in 1918. Lebanon gained independence from French rule in 1943.

Maronites are the largest Christian denomination in Lebanon, historically centered in Mount Lebanon. They are known for their unique Eastern Catholic Church (which remains in communion with Rome) and their usage of the Syriac language in liturgy, although they primarily speak Lebanese Arabic today. Maronites played a key role in founding modern Lebanon. Today, they maintain distinct cultural and religious traditions, tracing their roots to St. Maron in the fourth century.

The Greek Orthodox community is the second largest Christian group. Other historical Christian communities include Catholic (Chaldean, Greek, Latin, Armenian, and Syriac), Oriental Orthodox (Armenian Apostolic, Syriac, and Coptic), and the Assyrian Church of the East.

Until the 1980s, Christians still constituted a demographic majority in the country. Today, the once-thriving Christian community has plummeted to roughly one-third.