Secretary General Professor Michel Abs: “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 anymore”
Amidst the worsening environmental crisis in the region and around the world, a conference entitled “Religious Perspectives on the Environmental Crisis in Lebanon” was 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.
Attendees were the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, as a speaker; the MECC Honorary Secretary General, Dr. Souraya Bachaalany; and the Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Antoine Al-Ahmar, as a speaker, as well as many figures from the social, cultural, educational, and intellectual sectors.
The conference featured several sessions with contributions from specialists representing various fields. Discussions focused on the environmental crisis in Lebanon from Religious perspectives, highlighting the role of faith in raising environmental awareness and reinforcing shared responsibility for protecting creation and preserving the environment, thus contributing to building a more sustainable future.
Secretary General Professor Michel Abs delivered a word entitled “Preventing the assassination of Lebanon’s environment”. He emphasized that “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.”
He concluded by stressing that “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 anymore.”
The Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Antoine Al-Ahmar, also delivered a word in which he examined the conference’s theme from Theological and Ecumenical perspectives. He addressed humanity’s responsibility to preserve creation and highlighted the importance of promoting environmental awareness based on shared Religious and spiritual values.
This conference comes in response to the growing need to strengthen cooperation among Religious, academic, social, cultural, and educational institutions in addressing the environmental challenges that Lebanon is facing and fostering a culture of sustainability and shared responsibility.