Chai Brady
Antrim born but Beirut based Anna Sophia Gallagher Exclusive
Everyday life is becoming increasingly difficult for Christians in Lebanon
An Irishwoman who works in Beirut has warned that the people of Lebanon have lost hope amidst anti-government protests in the wake of a deadly explosion that killed hundreds of people and has been widely blamed on political corruption.
Anna Sophia Gallagher [pictured], originally from Co. Antrim was speaking to The Irish Catholic after the entire Lebanese government resigned this week amid a wave of protests. But, she insisted that the issues run much deeper than the death toll from the explosion.
“It’s not a new protest – it’s just a continuation of anger, flat-out desperation and a loss of hope. “The mood now is basically this regarding the coronavirus: we’re well into our second wave or a continuation of the first wave, and people don’t care because they have nothing left so they’re just like ‘well if we don’t die of coronavirus, we’ll die of hunger so what does it matter?’,” she told The Irish Catholic speaking from Beirut this week.
The Church in Lebanon has been stepping up efforts to support the hundreds of thousands of people who have been left homeless after the explosion.
Challenging
Michel Younes, a Maronite Catholic in Beirut, told this newspaper that living as a Christian in the Middle Eastern country is becoming increasingly challenging. However, he said the Christians draw comfort from their faith and a strong sense of identity in the community.
“It’s the will to fight,” he told The Irish Catholic. “This is how we understand Christianity since I was a little boy. This is my identity: I’m not Lebanese, I’m Christian first – I have a mission to fight, and stay here. It’s not comfort I look for,” he said.
His comments come as Church leaders in the region are increasingly leading calls for reform. Cardinal Bechara Rai the Maronite Patriarch warned that Lebanon has become “ravaged by corruption, financial mismanagement, soaring poverty and hyperinflation”.
He has pleaded with the international community not to turn a blind eye to the systemic issues that have led to the current crisis.