Shared Religious Spaces in the Middle East
The Feast of the Annunciation in Lebanon as an Example
A Round Table Organized by MECC
Sessions Emphasizing the Necessity of Promoting Human Values for a Better Future
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
As part of the Year Fifty activities of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), MECC held a round table entitled “Shared Religious Spaces in the Middle East, the Feast of the Annunciation in Lebanon as an Example,” out of its belief in spreading the principles of dialogue and cooperation and the values of love and fraternity, on Saturday 23 March 2024, at the headquarters of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut.
The round table included three sessions with speakers, Church leaders and experts from various fields and countries in the Middle East, who spoke about their expertise and experiences in their countries, emphasizing that what unites us is more than what divides us and that the convergence of all religions is a basis for ensuring the stability and prosperity of societies, and this requires mutual respect, listening and communication.
Attendees were specialists and interested people in the topic at hand, at the offices of the General Secretariat, or followed online via the “Zoom” platform. Noting that the seminar was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page, on Télé Lumière and Noursat, and on various religious and secular TV stations.
The seminar began with a speech delivered by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, in which he stressed the importance of living together in peace and justice, away from all differences and conflicts. He also emphasized the need to consolidate the spirit of love and tolerance among all components of societies, in order to preserve human dignity and ensure a brighter and more advanced future.
Then the first session began, moderated by Dr. Laure Abi Khalil, and included speeches from spiritual leaders that centered on the need to bridge distances and build bridges of fraternity between all citizens, regardless of their different religions, cultures, and civilizations, focusing on the need to promote human values and respect for the richness in diversity of all societies.
During the session, speeches were addressed by His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, delivered by His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios Al Soury, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Zahle, Baalbek and Dependencies, and Member of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Executive Committee, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, His Eminence Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, Vice President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council in Lebanon, Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze Community, Lebanon, His Eminence Archbishop Boulos Abdel Sater, Maronite Archbishop of Beirut, delivered by Father Antonio Wakim, and His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches.
The second session was entitled “The Middle Eastern Model of Shared Life,” and was also moderated by Dr. Laure Abi Khalil. During the session, speakers were His Eminence Archbishop Atallah Hanna, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, Palestine, His Eminence Dr. Mohammed Abu Zaid Al-Amir, Vice President of Al-Azhar University for Lower Egypt, Egypt, His Eminence Bishop Ermia, General Bishop and Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center, Egypt, Dr. Abd Al-Karim Najm, President of the Supreme Sufi Council, Palestine, Dr. Abdul Hussein Shaaban, Political Thinker, Iraq, Dr. Walid Al-Shomaly, Director Palestinian Center for Research and Cultural Dialogue, Palestine, Dr. Muhammad Al-Hourani, President of the Arab Writers Union, Syria, Dr. Nizam Assaf, Director of the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, Jordan, and Dr. Maha Zahlouk, Dean of the Faculty of Education at Damascus University, Syria.
Then the third session began under the title “From Coexistence to Unity in Life”, and was moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh. During the session, speakers were Prof. Dr. Mohammad Al-Sammak, Secretary General of the Islamic Christian National Dialogue Committee, Lebanon, His Excellency Mr. Marwan Mounir Abou Fadel, Secretary General of the Orthodox Gathering, former MP in the House of Representatives, Lebanon, His Excellency Minister Dr. Samir Morcos, Egyptian Thinker and Former minister, Egypt, Dr. Hussein Rahhal, Professor and Researcher in political sociology at the Lebanese University, Lebanon, His Excellency Dr. Sama Sleiman, Undersecretary of the Foreign, Arab and African Affairs Committee, Senate of Egypt, His Excellency Dr. Tarek Khoury, Former Member of the Jordanian Parliament, Jordan, and Dr. Rawaa Qasha, Director of the Scholarships and Cultural Relations at the University of Mosul, Iraq.
The round table ended with a word addressed by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs who mentioned the need to raise awareness for people about common values, stressing the importance of sincere dialogue and the positives that lie in interfaith relations. Noting that it comes within the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”, which the Middle East Council of Churches is working to implement consecutively.
