By Kielce Gussie
Among the crowds of thousands of young people who have embarked on journeys from every corner of the globe to partake in the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers and the Jubilee of Youth this week are twin brothers from Lebanon: Charbel and Giovanni Lteif.
With more than 600,000 followers on their Instagram account “eastern_christians”, the brothers have dedicated their page to sharing information on Christians living in the Middle East and North Africa.
Rather than seeing themselves as influencers, they describe their work as continuing a centuries-old mission.
Continuing a 2,000-year-old mission
Speaking to Vatican News’ Joseph Tulloch, Giovanni explained their mission began two millennia ago with Jesus. “We’ve been continuing it because it’s the responsibility of every generation to take it and strengthen it and pass it down.” He stressed that “it’s our generation’s time to contribute to our faith and community.”
“When you’re born a Christian in the Middle East,” Charbel continued, “you’re born with a mission.” He shared that their culture, identity, and traditions have been passed down for generations since the early Christians, and the brothers feel they have the responsibility to keep “this beautiful gift” going.
And the two recognize this task extends far beyond the Middle East but to the ends of the earth—and social media has made that possible.
We are more
In the age of Tiktoks, reels, and likes, Charbel and Giovanni stress that their “eastern_christians” account is not just a social media page. “It’s the best means to get the word out there to reach people and to raise awareness”, Giovanni explained.
The motivation behind their account wasn’t just to add more information to a world full of news and data. As Charbel described, it was an opportunity to change the narrative and move from passive to active, from only talking about what was being done to Eastern Christians to recounting who they are.
“We are more than what’s being done to us. We are art. We are music. We are faith. We are resilience”, he stressed. Through their posts, the brothers are able to “create a voice for our people” in the midst of modern-day persecution and challenges.
Like never before
For decades, life for Christians in the Middle East has been riddled with difficulties. One recent study showed that in the last century the percentage of Christians in the region dropped from 13.6% to 4.2%. “It’s the first time in our history and it’s happening while we are alive in right now”, Charbel stressed, saying there have been other periods of persecution but not like the one today.
The solution, he continued, is not leaving their homeland. “We don’t want to flee something we’ve been fighting for for two thousand years. It’s our identity; it’s our home…This is not a solution for us.” Charbel explained the solution they want is to live happily in the Middle East with dignity.
Reaching the world through social media
Reaching 800,000 followers across all the social media platforms was something the brothers attribute to prayer and the Holy Spirit. But it also enabled them to do something for their community, the world, and for Christians everywhere.
So being in Rome for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers was extra special for these Instagramers. “I think the Vatican is trying to send a message to the world of how important it is for us as Catholics and as Christians to be on social media”, Charbel shared.
“Social media is a very powerful tool”, Giovanni pointed out, reiterating that the brothers carry a big responibility in their digital mission work. “What keeps us going and steadfast in what we do is simply our Christian values. Once you hold on to your Christian values, there’s nothing to be scared of.” – Vatican News
