You most likely have heard of the tense situation that has built in Hong Kong over the past few months. With more than a million citizens in the streets, the major Superiors of Asia-Pacific and the Jesuits of Hong Kong have penned a letter of encouragement to all who fight for justice in the region. They need the world’s attention so that their struggle will not become a footnote in our media landscape. In the same way that the struggle in Hong Kong attracts our attention, there is another region of the world that is in deep need of our understanding: Lebanon.

Over the course of its history, Lebanon has experienced its share of tensions: from small conflicts to outright civil war. Recently, popular discontent that has slowly grown over the last era suddenly exploded into anti-government demonstrations. This small country in the Middle East is faced with an economic crisis at the same time that social inequality has reached a tipping point. The population, especially the poor, have suffered shortages of drinking water and electricity, unemployment and rising prices, and a disruption of basic infrastructure for transportation and communication. Worst still, endless corruption scandals have paralyzed the government and made an end to the crisis unlikely.

To help others understand the full extent of the unfolding disaster in Lebanon, Father Dany Younès, Provincial of the Near East and Maghreb, wrote a primer to his companions and partners in the mission of the Society. To read his letter, click here.