Professor Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Saint Rafqa is considered one of the saints who have profoundly shaped the identity of people in Lebanon and the East, not only because of her remarkable spiritual life, but also because of her deep social and cultural influence on society. Her life can be viewed as a model of the social and religious values that contribute to strengthening social cohesion and reinforcing collective identity.

Born in 1832 in the village of Hemlaya in Mount Lebanon, Saint Rafqa lived a life marked by challenges and suffering. She lost her mother at an early age, endured difficult economic and social circumstances, and later entered religious life, dedicating herself to prayer and service. She is especially known for accepting illness and pain with patience and faith, becoming a symbol of sacrifice and perseverance.

Saint Rafqa embodies values that are highly cherished in Eastern societies, such as patience, solidarity, faith, and selflessness. Communities need symbolic figures who personify moral principles that contribute to social stability. Through her life story, Rafqa has become a source of inspiration for many believers facing difficult circumstances, whether economic, social, or health-related.

She also plays an important role in strengthening the religious and cultural identity of broad segments of the faithful. Places associated with her life, particularly the Monastery of Saint Joseph in Jrabta, where her body rests, have become centers of pilgrimage that attract thousands of visitors each year. This religious activity contributes to strengthening social bonds among individuals and groups, as people gather around shared values and beliefs, fostering a sense of belonging to one community.

Furthermore, Saint Rafqa exemplifies the role that sacred figures play in building social solidarity. Religion often unites members of society through common symbols and practices. In this context, Rafqa serves as a religious symbol that brings believers together and strengthens their sense of solidarity…

Headed by the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs

Visits His Eminence Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze Community, Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna

Words Emphasized the Strengthening of Cooperation Between the Two Sides for the Benefit of People and the Nation

His Eminence Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze Community, Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, received at the Druze Community House in Beirut, a delegation from the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). It included Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, Associate Secretaries General Father Dean Nicolas Bustros and Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, Professor Laure Abi Khalil, Dr. Laudy Khoury, Mrs. Caroline Haddad, Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, Mrs.Maha Samaan, Mr. Richard Sassine, Mr. Rabih Abu Rjeily, and Mr. Elia Nasrallah.

The delegation affirmed the MECC support for the statement issued by the recent Christian-Muslim Spiritual Summit held at the Druze Community House, as well as for the general framework outlined by His Eminence Sheikh Abi Al-Muna. The delegation noted that this framework strengthens communication among all spiritual and national components in Lebanon and promotes dialogue outcomes that contribute to spreading awareness, fostering a culture of tolerance, preserving values, consolidating stability, and safeguarding civil peace.

The delegation also praised His Eminence Sheikh Al-Aql’s initiative in meeting the Heads of State with a delegation representing Religious Authorities within the framework of a spiritual and national partnership aimed at rescuing the State and protecting the nation.

A Meeting that Emphasized the Importance of Strengthening the Ecumenical Spirit

As part of his visit to Lebanon, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Eastern Orthodox Family, received the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Beirut.

Attendees were the Archpriest Father Arsanius Al-Orachalimi, Father Athanasius Resto, the Lawyer of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Lebanon Mr. Abdallah Moussallem, and Mr. Albert Jonki.

Lebanon’s Righteous Daughter: The Story of an Entire Nation

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

In a time when events accelerate and challenges intensify, people remain in need of guiding lights to show them the way, and of exceptional figures whose lives embody the meanings of perseverance, faith, and hope. Lebanon, this small country in size but great in its mission, has offered the world not only a rich cultural and civilizational heritage, but also Saints who, through their lives, reflected the image of a faithful person deeply rooted in their land and open to heaven.

Among these luminous figures stands Saint Rafqa, Lebanon’s righteous daughter, whose life story has become the story of an entire nation. In her life, we can read many of Lebanon’s defining traits: faith that cannot be broken, patience that transcends hardship, and hope that springs from the heart of suffering. Rafqa lived in a simple Lebanese village, yet she carried a human and spiritual message that went far beyond geographical boundaries, becoming a Saint of the universal Church and a beacon of light illuminating the paths of believers around the world.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), through its Diakonia and Social Service Department – Syria’s Office, organized remedial classes for 9th grade certificate students in the city of Erbin, in Rural Damascus.

A total of 150 students benefited from the remedial classes, which lasted for three months.

During this period, students were provided with the essential information they needed in their curriculum, with the aim of improving their academic level and enabling them to successfully pass their final certificate exam.

On WhatsApp

In its endeavor to embody its slogan, "Building Bridges, Standing Together," to be a unifying platform for Church and Religious Families and all components of society, reflecting the Christian reality in the Middle East with a unified Church voice emanating from the cradle of Christianity to the entire world within a shared life with all components of society,

As part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen its Ecumenical and humanitarian mission and to shed lights on the Church in the Middle East through all available media platforms and digital technologies,

The Middle East Council of Churches has launched a WhatsApp channel, entitled “MECC News”.

We invite you to join this channel and follow the MECC news via the following link: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbB2Ym05a240L8hfFv0s.

This is in addition to episodes, reports, videos, and articles produced by MECC, about various Christian, Ecumenical, humanitarian, and social issues.

مرصد فلسطين – تقرير الجمعة 12 حزيران/ يونيو 2026

In light of the worsening humanitarian and social conditions in the region due to the escalation of security operations, the Middle East Council of Churches presents a weekly report entitled "Palestine Monitor," which includes the latest developments in Palestine, especially amid the deteriorating living, social, and security conditions in the country. Some texts will be in Arabic, and some others in English, depending on the source.

في ظلّ تفاقم الظروف الإنسانيّة والاجتماعيّة في المنطقة جرّاء تصاعد العمليّات الأمنيّة فيها، يقدّم مجلس كنائس الشرق الأوسط تقريرًا أسبوعيًّا بعنوان "مرصد فلسطين" حيث يتضمّن آخر المستجدّات الّتي تشهدها فلسطين خصوصًا وسط تدهور الظروف المعيشيّة والاجتماعيّة والأمنيّة في البلاد. ستكون بعض النصوص باللغة العربية، وبعضها الآخر باللّغة الإنكليزيّة، وذلك حسب المصدر.

Produced By MECC

An Episode With His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian

Catholicos Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Catholic Family

Produced By MECC

On the Commemoration of the Canonization of Saint Rafqa on June 10, the Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) presents this video from the Church of Saint Rafqa in Hamlaya, Lebanon.

Produced By MECC

Produced By MECC

“Momentum”

5-6-2026

This issue includes reports, videos, news, articles, and a full coverage of the latest developments of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), as well as the Church, Ecumenical, and social events…

This is in addition to the weekly word of the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs which is entitled in this issue “A Spiritual Summit at the Homeland-Message”.

You can check the issue via the following link: https://mailchi.mp/92d3d1e02469/momentum-mecc-weekly-newsletter.

You can also subscribe to the Momentum Newsletter via the following link:
https://mecc.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?id=fd3381352a&u=1db32cafe9ea32b38eb90480a.

Professor Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

The attacks that have shaken Lebanon over the past few months, continuing a long series of assaults that have devastated the country over years, and even decades, have disrupted many of the balances upon which societies generally are built.

Political, economic, psychological, and demographic balances have all been disturbed, along with other fragile equilibria that were never truly stable to begin with, given everything the country has endured, and continues to endure, over the past decades.

The latest war waged against Lebanon by forces of destruction, with each round usually harsher than the one before it, has produced major disruptions that will not easily subside in the foreseeable future, nor within the limits of the resources currently available. This has led to sweeping political, social, and economic chaos, further aggravated by social media platforms that open the door to those who seek to fish in troubled waters.

As a result of the large-scale displacement that took place over recent months, the first signs of internal tensions have begun to surface, along with attempts to tamper with civil peace. Everyone senses that a boiling cauldron is about to erupt, whenever the right elements of ignition become available.

In light of these realities, evident to any discerning observer, action was needed to address one of the most influential and effective factors capable of creating confusion and unrest in Lebanon: the sectarian factor. Political and security alignments are largely built upon political sectarianism, which formed the basis of the National Pact and was later reaffirmed at the end of the civil war.

Because of displacement, unemployment, poverty, and the pressure of limited living spaces, animosities have developed among some segments of the Lebanese people. These feelings have roots in both the recent and distant past, and have taken the form of mutual demonization among Lebanese groups, reinforced by hate speech that is being circulated and amplified through far-reaching social media platforms…