Christians in the Arab Levant and the Aspirations of Unity and Enlightenment
A Conference in the Capital of Jordan, Amman
His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan Bin Talal: “the world is witnessing multiple conflicts and increasing flashpoints of tension, at a time when humanity needs a profound review of its values and universal concepts”
The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs: “The risks posed by politics to religion—and vice versa—are grave, potentially shaping human destiny as history has often shown”
Under the patronage and presence of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan Bin Talal, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies, the Institute held a conference entitled “Christians in the Arab Levant and the Aspirations of Unity and Enlightenment”, on 7 and 8 May 2025, in the capital of Jordan, Amman.
The conference was attended by Their Beatitudes and Eminences Patriarchs, Metropolitans, and Priests, Representatives of various Churches in the Middle East, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, and Religious, political, media, and social figures.
During the conference, His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan Bin Talal emphasized in his speech that the world is witnessing multiple conflicts and increasing flashpoints of tension, at a time when humanity needs a profound review of its values and universal concepts. His Royal Highness also highlighted historical events that embody the values of fraternity and solidarity, noting how Jordanians, both Muslims and Christians, welcomed hundreds of Christian families arriving from Mosul and opened their hearts to those arriving from Bosnia and Herzegovina, reflecting the inclusive spirit of Jordanian society.
As well as, the conference included many sessions in which Church Leaders delivered speeches that stressed the importance of protecting the Christian presence in the region, as it is an essential part of the social and historical fabric of the Arab Levant.
In the second session, on "Religion and Politics: Between Civil Society and the Political Use of Religion," the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, delivered a speech entitled "Between religion and politics lie strong ties, whose manifestations fill the pages of history and have been deeply analyzed, criticized, and condemned for the calamities they have brought upon humanity. We in Lebanon, and the Antiochian-Arab East, live through the ugliest expressions of this bond, with Lebanon’s experience exported to the rest of the region.”
He continued, "The alliance between religion and politics seems eternal here, and any exit from it appears costly on all fronts. However, the intersection of religion and politics presents challenges that can only be properly addressed by assigning each its rightful domain and maintaining a deliberate, barren distance between the two.”
He added “The risks posed by politics to religion—and vice versa—are grave, potentially shaping human destiny as history has often shown.”
At the end, the participants discussed the conference's conclusions and presented their various recommendations and observations.