6 months into new presidency, Lebanese Christians take stock
Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi receives Joseph Aoun back in January 2024. / Credit: The Maronite Patriarchate
ACI MENA, Jul 14, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).
Six months ago last week, Lebanon broke a 14-month presidential deadlock by electing Joseph Aoun — an army commander backed by international powers and cautiously welcomed by Christian communities — to lead the country.
Aoun’s inaugural speech in January raised expectations, with firm promises to address sensitive and urgent issues like Hezbollah’s weapons and the refugee crisis. For many Christians, it sounded like a turning point. But half a year into his term, one question looms: Is Joseph Aoun fulfilling his promises, or are Lebanon’s Christians already losing faith in his leadership?
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was elected on Jan. 9, 2025, in the second round of voting during the 13th parliamentary session. Credit: Photo courtesy of Lebanese Presidency
By constitutional requirement, Lebanon’s president must be a Maronite Christian. While the role is meant to serve the entire nation across sectarian lines, the Christian community traditionally sees the presidency as its highest political representation and a key channel for defending what it views as national priorities.
*A young adult Christian’s perspective*
Mark Elian, a Lebanese student pursuing a master’s degree in international security at Sciences Po Paris, said Aoun’s inaugural speech in January resonated deeply with him as a young Lebanese Catholic. He said he was relieved when Suleiman Frangieh, another serious contender for the presidency, lost. “He simply didn’t represent Christians. Aoun’s profile is much more reassuring.”
He added: “Joseph Aoun comes from a southern village that was the victim of a massacre perpetrated by Palestinians, so he understands very well the need to disarm the camps,” Elian said. “And as commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Army, he managed to keep the institution standing during Lebanon’s worst economic and financial collapse.”
Mark Elian, a Lebanese student pursuing a master’s degree in international security at Sciences Po Paris, said Preisdent Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech in January resonated deeply with him as a young Lebanese Catholic. Credit: Photo courtesy of Mark Elian
Elian pointed to several achievements that, in his view, give Aoun credibility. “He’s succeeded in renewing ties with Arab and Western countries that had lost interest in Lebanon,” he said. “He also managed to organize the municipal elections on time and facilitated the formation of a government just weeks after the nomination of Nawaf Salam.”
Still, Elian admits, however, that the president has fallen short on key promises. “He hasn’t delivered yet on the state’s monopoly over weapons.’’
“He must also resolve the question of a state monopoly on arms and achieve the full Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon,” Elian said. “Last but not least, he has to address the issue of people’s money trapped in the banks and restructure the banking sector. President Joseph Aoun faces many challenges; the first one being the regime that elected him.”
The banking crisis Elian refers to is one of the deepest wounds in Lebanese society. Since 2019, banks have imposed informal capital controls, blocking most citizens from accessing their savings. Life savings vanished overnight. Depositors were left with restricted access to their own money, forced to withdraw limited amounts in local currency at steep losses. The collapse destroyed trust in the financial system, shattered the middle class, and sparked mass emigration.
Aoun has so far signaled a willingness to tackle the issue. His government passed amendments to banking secrecy laws and appointed a new central bank governor, but comprehensive banking sector restructuring remains elusive.
Lebanese lawyer Joy Lahoud takes a more sceptical view of the new presidency. He said he sees promising inaugural speeches as a recurring pattern in Lebanese politics, with every new president raising expectations that rarely translate into action. In his view, the failure isn’t always personal — it’s institutional. Credit: Photo courtesy of Joy Lahoud
*A lawyer’s call to action*
Joy Lahoud, a Lebanese lawyer, takes a more sceptical view. He sees promising inaugural speeches as a recurring pattern in Lebanese politics, with every new president raising expectations that rarely translate into action. In his view, the failure isn’t always personal — it’s institutional.
“Obviously most of them, if not all of them, were not capable of walking their talk because of the nature of the Lebanese constitution,” he explained. “The prerogatives of the president are limited. The executive powers are not vested with the president.”
Still, Lahoud believes Aoun has a historic opportunity to turn that momentum into meaningful change.
“The Lebanese president has a historical opportunity to accelerate the shift by doing more substantial actions on the ground,” he said. “The end of domination in Lebanon cannot be materialized by the mere removing of pictures, but by removing the influence from the entire administration and by totally ending any military presence of the mercenaries and militias.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam recently stated that the Lebanese Army had dismantled “more than 500 military positions and arms depots” belonging to Hezbollah in the south. While the announcement was framed as a major achievement, Joy Lahoud views it with cautious realism.
“This is obviously an effort by the Lebanese administration to demonstrate to the international community that it is making an effort,” he said. “There should be much more done, not only on the level of installations but also on the level of light weapons and the militiamen operating under civilian cover.”
Lahoud stressed that the real danger lies not only in the presence of missiles, but in the operational capacity of armed groups. “It’s more about the capability of those militiamen to create chaos, to threaten democracy and stability in Lebanon — and potentially to carry out assassinations and terrorist activities,” he warned.
Another issue that has resurfaced under President Aoun is the question of disarming Palestinian refugee camps — which evokes one of the most painful chapters in Lebanon’s modern history.
The presence of Palestinian militias in Lebanon triggered a long civil war in the seventies bringing bloodshed, chaos, and massacres to Lebanese soil. In the face of the threat, Christian militias rose to defend their land and their people Decades later, the weapons are still there, and the state has yet to reclaim full control.
Lahoud acknowledged the symbolic weight of the renewed efforts, especially following the Palestinian president’s visit to Lebanon and his reported agreement with Aoun that weapons in the camps are no longer needed. But Lahoud remains skeptical.
“We haven’t seen any material progress on this front, and the only thing that would bring comfort to the Lebanese people is to see the Lebanese army entering the camps,” he said.
While he recognizes the complexity of the situation, he believes in gradual but concrete steps. “There should be something done at least gradually. No one is asking for a large-scale operation, but the Lebanese army should advance step by step and take over those camps on the security level, at least gradually.”
Beyond security and sovereignty, Lahoud believes Aoun must also prioritize issues that directly affect Lebanon’s Christian presence — both inside and outside the country.
“The president should be making sure that the Lebanese Christian diaspora plays a role in elections and is able to exercise its right to vote and choose its representatives,” he said.
Lahoud also warned of another looming threat: the erosion of Christian presence in state institutions. “The president must ensure that Christians in Lebanon retain the key positions within the administration,” he said. “We’re already seeing maneuvers being plotted to take those positions away.”
Looking ahead, Lahoud says the real breakthrough will come only through deep constitutional reform. He also stressed the need for a complete overhaul of the state system. “ “Lebanon must move toward a federal system — ending the totalitarian rule of the centralized government,” he said.
Lahoud believes the current moment offers a rare chance — one the state cannot afford to waste.
Father Danny Dergham, a Maronite priest, sees in President Aoun a man closely tied to the Church, not just spiritually, but personally and institutionally. Courtesy of Father Danny Dergham
*A priest’s advice to Lebanon’s president*
Father Dany Dergham, a Maronite priest, sees in President Aoun a man closely tied to the Church, not just spiritually, but personally and institutionally.
“President Aoun is a son of the Maronite Church and of Bkerké,” he said. “He maintains deep and ongoing coordination with the Maronite Patriarchate. He has warm and respectful personal ties with the Patriarch, as well as with several bishops he has known since childhood.”
For Dergham, the alignment between the presidency and Bkerké (the episcopal see of the Maronite Church in Lebanon) is clear: “There is no doubt that their visions align; both are grounded in national principles, state sovereignty, and justice and equality among all communities.”
Dergham added that Aoun’s Christian identity is not performative, but deeply rooted.
“The president consistently expresses his Christian and ecclesial commitment through his visits. He is unashamed of his faith; rather, he sends a message that a leader — or a citizen — in Lebanon can be faithful and committed without being sectarian. There is a vast difference between sectarianism and faith.”
Dergham noted that Aoun recognizes the Vatican as the “Mother Church,” a central spiritual reference point for Eastern Christians, and underscored that he remains the only Christian president in the region.
But Dergham said expecting too much from the presidency is not only unrealistic, it’s unfair.
“There is no doubt that President Aoun has good intentions and a strong desire to implement reforms within state institutions…However, intentions and desire are one thing; capabilities and authority are another. As everyone knows, the powers of the Lebanese president are limited — virtually nonexistent. Therefore, placing excessive hope in or blaming the president personally is misplaced,” he said,
Dergham stressed that what was promised in Aoun’s speech — no matter how sincere — cannot be delivered by the presidency alone.
“These are matters for the government and parliament, not just the president. Lebanese experience shows that full harmony among the three branches of power is exceedingly rare.”
The priest had some final advice to Aoun: “Do not remain in office if the gap between what you wish to achieve and what you’re able to do becomes too wide."
This aticle was originally published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner in the Middle East, and has been translated for, and adapted by, CNA.