Word of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs at the conference entitled “Religious Perspectives on the Environmental Crisis in Lebanon” held at Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), in partnership with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Danmission, and Fondation Diane. The event took place on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the University’s Campus of Innovation and Sport (CIS) - Auditorium François Bassil.
Professor Michel Abs
Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
Distinguished professors, religious leaders, colleagues, students, guests, and friends,
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Saint Joseph University of Beirut for this conference on “Religious Perspectives on the Environmental Crisis in Lebanon.”
Our gathering comes at a time when the environmental question in Lebanon can no longer be treated as a secondary concern. It touches public health, agriculture, water, energy, urban life, the protection of natural resources, and ultimately the dignity and future of every person living on this land.
The environmental crisis is not only technical. It is also ethical, cultural, political, legal, and spiritual.
In Lebanon, we must also have the courage to examine certain aspects of our collective mentality. Too often, public space is treated as though it belonged to no one rather than to everyone. Individual interest can prevail over the common good, while environmental violations are sometimes normalized as part of daily life. Waste may be discarded without consideration for its consequences; construction may advance without sufficient respect for landscapes and ecosystems; natural resources may be consumed as though they were unlimited.
This mentality cannot be separated from another major difficulty: the weakness of governmental control and enforcement. Lebanon possesses laws, institutions, municipalities, ministries, and regulatory mechanisms, yet implementation is frequently inconsistent. Weak oversight, institutional fragmentation, political interference, limited accountability, and insufficient resources can create a gap between environmental legislation and environmental reality.
Religion therefore has an important role to play—not as a substitute for the state or scientific expertise, but as a source of values capable of shaping conscience and responsibility.
As the program shows, the plenary session will examine the ethical, political, and legal foundations of environmental responsibility within religious teachings, highlighting the challenges we face and the values that different faith traditions can bring to the search for sustainability. Religious traditions remind us that creation is not merely a resource to be exploited. It is a gift, a trust, and a responsibility toward both present and future generations.
The three workshops deepen this reflection in practical directions.
The workshop on Religious Education and Environment invites us to consider how ecological responsibility can become part of education and spiritual formation from an early age.
The workshop on Faith-Based Organizations as Actors of Environmental Action explores how religious institutions can transform values into concrete initiatives within communities.
The workshop on Religious Leadership, Ethics and Environmental Governance addresses the responsibility of religious leaders to contribute to public awareness, ethical accountability, and a culture of responsible governance.
The purpose of this conference is therefore not simply to describe Lebanon’s environmental crisis, but to ask what each of us can contribute to changing it.
We are quite aware of the level of abuse done to the environment in Lebanon. Indicators are red and indifference is high. Yet there is still a lot to safeguard. The process may be longer than expected since it is an ethical and value issue, but we need to carry-on mobilizing people of good will to be part of the rescue process, before it is too late and before regret isn’t useful any more.
May our discussions today strengthen cooperation between universities, religious communities, civil society, public institutions, and citizens, and help us move from environmental concern to environmental responsibility, and from responsibility to sustained action.
Welcome to all of you, and I wish this endeavor every success.