Lebanon

Although it has ancient roots in the New Testament era, Lebanese Christianity is shrinking. Christians comprised 63% of the population in 1970 but only 34% in 2015. Christianity in Syria is quite diverse and ecumenical. Major historical traditions include the Maronite Church (Eastern Catholic), the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, the Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia (Oriental Orthodox), and the Armenian Catholic Church (Eastern Catholic), as well as Syriac and Assyrian churches. In the 20th century, Lebanon enjoyed relatively stable relationships between Christians and Muslims within a plural democracy. More recently, conflicts in the Middle East have brought both fear and large numbers of refugees to Lebanon, and the church today faces questions of interfaith dialogue and internal church reform.