With renewed conflict between Israel and Palestine, crisis in Syria and yet to be defined effects of the Arab Spring, it would be easy to forget that there are still Christians in the Middle East.

But the head of Bible Society in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, Mike Bassous says it’s important to remind Christians around the world that there are Christians living in the region. The Pope’s visit to Lebanon in September this year, says Bassous, made a strong, encouraging statement to the world in this regard.

“He was making a statement to the entire world – there are Christians in the Middle East!” says Bassous. “Just imagine, the Pope had 1,000 international journalists with him on that trip. The whole world was watching and there was recognition that Christians are still here. The Catholic Church said as loud as it could: we’re here to support you. Stay where you are. Don’t move.”

During his Lebanon visit, the Pope expressed concern for Middle Eastern Christians, encouraging them to stay in their home countries.

Bassous says he joins the Pope in that call, quoting statistics that show the numbers of Christians in the Middle East have dropped from a quarter of the population to below five per cent in the last hundred years.

“In Lebanon, the numbers have dropped from about 50 per cent to about one third in the past fifty years. As Christians feel that they are becoming a minority and not enjoying their basic freedom of religion, they start seeking shelter elsewhere.

“And also, the number of children that Christian families have compared to Muslim families- there’s an imbalance there. There’s much higher population growth among Muslims. These two factors tend to dwindle the number of Christians still living in the Middle East.”

Yet Bassous says Lebanon is the stronghold of Christian presence in the Middle East, safeguarding Christian heritage and culture.

“The moment Lebanese Christians start feeling under persecution, under pressure, the entire Christian population in the Middle East feel under that pressure too.”

While instability reigns in the region, hope is one thing Middle Eastern Christians have in abundance.

“Hope doesn’t come easy living in a safety zone. It’s most powerful when you’re living on the cutting edge, in danger. It is most abundant when we are willing to live in insecurity. That’s easy for us in the Middle East, we do that on a daily basis. We don’t have to try,” says Bassous.

As a Christian leader in the region, Bassous flags flexibility as an important leadership attribute. Crisis management is something he’s familiar with. This year, two Bible Society staff members working in Syria were kidnapped after being identified as Christian at one of the country’s many security checkpoints.

After several days with no news, family members were able to make contact and speak with the abductors. One staff member was released for health reasons after a week. It took another week of negotiations to have the second staff member released.

“You don’t know what tomorrow holds. But you stay, you make plans, you adapt. I’m proud of that insecurity,” says Bassous. “It has taught me to depend on hope, on God. That He is sovereign.”

Featured image: A needy family in a refugee camp in Lebanon gratefully receives a package containing food, cleaning materials and Scripture items from the Bible Society in Lebanon. Credit – United Bible Societies.