Lebanese twin brothers turn tragedy into a call to action for Middle East Christians

ACI MENA, Jul 29, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

With a smartphone and an Instagram account, twin brothers Charbel and Giovanni Lteif are closing in on 800,000 followers with their “Eastern Christians” pages on social media.

The 20-year-old Maronite Lebanese brothers have built their Christian social media platform in just one year, expanding across multiple platforms to reach global Christian audiences. Their digital work has earned them acceptance into EWTN’s Summer Academy in Rome.

Their page has evolved beyond sharing Christian traditions of the East. It has become a trusted source for raising awareness and helping people in the region affected by ongoing conflicts.

Their recent coverage of the suicide attack at Mar Elias Church in Dweila, Syria, drew more than 30 million views. The brothers also launched a fundraising campaign to help the victims’ families.

From village feast to global ministry

During the traditional feast of St. James in Fatqa, Keserwan District, Lebanon, Charbel looked around and saw his friends cooking Hrisseh, a traditional Lebanese porridge with wheat and lamb distributed during saints’ feasts. To his right, the local Christian youth group was preparing sweets for sale. Friends were singing and celebrating. Visitors crowded into the church.

“It’s impossible to find traditions like these anywhere else in the world,” Charbel told his twin brother. “What do you think about sharing the lives of Eastern Christians online?”

That conversation started their digital ministry. The brothers began creating content in English, sharing glimpses of their heritage as Eastern Christians without any formal strategy. They simply wanted to honor the faith they were born into.

Both brothers experienced spiritual awakenings during the COVID-19 pandemic that shaped their digital mission. Charbel found God through agriculture, admiring how seeds “are placed under the soil and become great plants.” Despite pandemic restrictions, he said, “I could see God, the giver of life, through the crops.”

Meanwhile, Giovanni explored many spiritual activities before having a profound experience during a novena to St. Thérèse of Lisieux in 2019. After asking Jesus for a “flower of faith,” he found actual flowers attached to his clothes during moments of spiritual questioning.

A powerful message to the world

The brothers’ page quickly found its audience with captivating visuals and a clear message: Christianity didn’t come to the Middle East. It came from it.

“We’ve always felt this was something we were born to do,” Charbel said. “But the need became clearer with time, and bigger.”

Through curated images and personal stories, the brothers remind the world that Christian communities still thrive in the region. They are descendants of the early Church, survivors of persecution, and faithful guardians of ancient rites and traditions.

“This wasn’t a truth we discovered. We already knew it,” Giovanni explained. “But we helped uncover it for millions who didn’t.”

People from around the world began reaching out, sending messages, photos, and stories. Churches requested to be featured. What emerged was remarkable.

“We all feel the weight of being born Christian, especially in the Middle East, but we also feel the joy. That bond is real,” Giovanni said.

The brothers deliberately avoid framing their content through political commentary or despair, despite covering regions marked by conflict and persecution.

“Despair is a door to sin,” Giovanni affirmed. “We don’t have room for that.”

Impact and future vision

The project has transformed the brothers personally. A year ago, they might have introduced themselves more casually. Today, their sense of identity runs deeper, rooted in the heritage they carry and in a calling they’ve discovered.

Listening to their community and to many people who have faced unimaginable hardships has clarified that calling. Some have lost homes or loved ones. What remains unshaken is their faith.

“Every time I think I’ve reached a certain depth in my faith, I meet someone who humbles me again,” Charbel reflected. “Their trust in Christ is incredible.”

The brothers speak especially to young people, challenging them to live with purpose, stay close to God, and reject the lie that they are powerless.

The most powerful feedback comes from individuals who’ve returned to the Church or encountered Christ for the first time through the stories on their page. Some have even traveled to meet the communities they discovered online.

When asked whether they’ve started a movement, the brothers pointed to a deeper legacy: “This didn’t begin with us. It began 2,000 years ago.”

What began as a moment of recognition at a village feast has become something more: a proof, a platform, and a promise to the world that the Church in the Middle East is not forgotten.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265521/lebanese-twin-brothers-turn-tragedy-into-a-call-to-action-for-middle-east-christians