TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Tripoli Archbishop Georges Abu Jaoudeh urged Maronite couples Sunday to enlarge their families, saying the Maronite Church would start implementing programs that ensure that the education of every fourth child will be funded by a special ecclesiastical pension.
Speaking at the launch of a fundraiser, Abu Jaoudeh said that due to the harsh living conditions and in a bid to enhance the quality of life for their families, “the majority of [Maronite] couples [nowadays] give birth to one, two or at most three children.”
“This affects demographics especially in a country like Lebanon,” Abu Jaoudeh said.
Lebanon’s Christians moved from making up more than 50 percent of the Lebanese population prior to the 1975-90 Civil War to approximately 30 percent after the conflict.