SW News: In crisis-hit Lebanon, pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has launched a 2.28-million dollar program to provide succor to Catholic schools, thereby ensuring peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims. The Back to School initiative will also ensure the continuity of the Christians in one of the cradles of the faith in the Middle East.

ACN’s program will ensure a bright future for almost 30,000 students and more than 6,000 teachers in the country, which has been reeling from the aftermath of the August 2020 Beirut port blast and the political crisis. With the financial aid provided by the pontifical charity, students can resume lessons when they return after summer vacation.

As many as 185,000 students belonging to Christian and Muslim communities aged between six and 18 are enrolled in 250 Catholic schools across the country. Religious congregations and dioceses have expressed concern about the future of schools in the bleak economic scenario. In the previous academic year, one out of ten children discontinued studies as they either left the nation or were forced to drop out because of economic difficulties.

According to Philipp Ozores, secretary general of ACN, said that “Support for schools is a key response to the crisis affecting Lebanese Christians.” The continuity of the Christian presence in this ancient nation depends on the existence of schools.

“In this country, religious education takes place mainly in Catholic schools, rather than in parishes. If Catholic schools and teachers begin to disappear due to lack of financial means, the demographic balance will change rapidly,” he added.

Schools that are funded by the government are the worst hit as for the past four years, the authorities have not covered the costs of those institutions.

“Many schools are bankrupt, they can’t afford to pay teachers and struggle to find the means to sustain themselves. The great risk is that Catholic schools will be forced to close, which would also be a long-term disaster for coexistence between religions since these institutions play a vital role in relations between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon and are an example of coexistence for the entire Middle East”, Ozores said.

With power outages a regular affair as electricity has been in short supply for ages, many schools depend on private generators, which cost a huge sum even before the economic crisis crept in.

Ever since the deadly explosion in Beirut port two years ago, the pontifical charity has been prioritizing the survival of Christians in the country. Lebanon is the only nation in the Arab world where Christians still play a key role in socio-political affairs. Over the centuries, it has provided succor to persecuted Christians. In the early part of the 20th century, it welcomed Armenian believers escaping genocide and in the last 10 years, it has seen a huge influx of Syrian and Iraqi Christians.

Given Lebanon’s pro-active role in sheltering Christians, it is imperative to help the believers there, said Ozores.