War between Hezbollah and Israel would be a catastrophe for Lebanese Christians

Lebanon has more Christians than any country in the Middle East. Iran shows what full Hezbollah control would mean for the Church there and across the Middle East, says Dr Martin Parsons  

At the end of April, the Lindisfarne Centre warned that open war between Hezbollah and Israel would be a catastrophe for Lebanon’s Christian population. The country has by far the highest percentage of Christians of any in the Middle East. And because it is a non-Islamic country, it is often the only safe haven for Christians fleeing persecution elsewhere, including large numbers who fled Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. 

Lebanon’s population has always been a delicate balance of Christians, Sunni and Shi’a Muslims and a small Druze minority. This balance has been maintained by the constitution decreeing that the president must be a Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker a Shi’a Muslim.