At a students’ gathering at the Pontifical School of Theology at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) on Thursday, April 16, 2026, Father Dr. Antoine Al-Ahmar, Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), presented the MECC publication "Towards a Common Date for Easter." Its content and objectives were explained, and the publication was distributed to all students.

This meeting coincided with an initiative by the Bible Society to distribute a collection of books specializing in Biblical Studies and Exegesis, in support of the students' academic and scholarly pursuits.

Attendees were His Eminence Archbishop Antoine Awkar, Maronite Patriarchal Vicar, Father Dr. Elias Hanna, Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Micheal Bassous, Secretary General of the Bible Society, as well as Professors, in a rich and fruitful atmosphere.

“Momentum”

17-4-2026

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 "The scene from the window of a Nation in Crisis".

You can check the issue via the following link: https://mailchi.mp/b1d79a1610d0/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)

As the Lebanese, and the peoples of the Middle East more broadly, watch what is unfolding across their lands and look toward tomorrow with anxiety and apprehension, their eyes turn to the talks taking place in the United States. In the short term, the Lebanese hope these talks may halt the inferno that has continued to rain down upon them for more than a month, killing and wounding thousands, displacing a quarter of the population, and devastating vast areas in the south of the country and the suburbs of its capital.

Daily life in Lebanon has become a silent hell, and the Lebanese suffer bitterly in all its details, even though they have long been accustomed to hardship. They have grown used to the silence born of the acquired helplessness syndrome, having become convinced, after half a century of other people's wars on their land and through them, that nothing works any more and that their only choices are either adaptation or departure. So those who could leave have left, while those who remain endure in pain, waiting for better times in a posture of resignation before an imposed reality, until what was imposed has itself become an unquestioned fact.

Starting from the saying, "The wolf is not blamed for its aggression if the shepherd is the flock's enemy," one may say that the wolf has overstepped all bounds and persisted in its aggression because those entrusted with the people's fate and interests have themselves been the first to violate them, whether deliberately or through negligence. From the explosion of the Port of Beirut, whose investigation remains shrouded in ambiguity and concealment, to the looting of depositors' money from the banks and the bankruptcy of society as a whole; from the bankruptcy of the state and the ruin of its institutions to the corruption that has spread across every sector of public life and now threatens investment, growth, and progress in Lebanese society. Needless to say, this corruption afflicts many countries of the region and has extended beyond public institutions until it has become a popular culture that has produced its own "institutions," making it difficult even to confront, let alone contain. Corruption, betrayal, the collapse of the moral order, and the absence of accountability are the basic elements behind the erosion of our social, cultural, economic, political, and, of course, security defences…

Light of Hope | نور الرجاء

Join the Middle East Council of Churches to explore the role of words in building peace and overcoming hatred.
📅 Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
🕚 Time: 11:00 AM
📍 Platform: Via Zoom 🔗 Participation Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81513875879?pwd=QcWaW6ZhdMI9d707yZbQSKuKOKbe9c.1

مرصد فلسطين – تقرير الجمعة 17 نيسان/ أبريل 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.

Within Charity TV News

Highlighting the Light of Hope Initiatives and the MECC Response to the Difficult Circumstances in Lebanon

Details in this Report

On the Occasion of His Election as Patriarch of the Chaldean Church in Iraq and the World

Produced By MECC

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of April 2026. It includes the Ecclesiastical and Liturgical Feasts of the various Families of Churches in the Middle East. In addition to international days identified by the United Nations, and which are related to the MECC identity and its spiritual and human mission.

Produced By MECC

Prepared and Presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary

Produced By MECC

Produced By MECC

Produced By MECC

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), following the serious and catastrophic security escalation witnessed on 8 April in the city of Beirut, along with many other Lebanese regions, expressed deep concern and strong condemnation of what has occurred.

"A series of simultaneous, violent, and unprecedented airstrikes targeted 100 sites, including residential neighborhoods and civilian locations across various Lebanese areas, resulting in hundreds of wounded and martyrs among innocent civilians,” reads a joint message from the two organizations. “We strongly denounce these attacks and emphasize the necessity of protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, based on the fundamental obligation under international humanitarian law.”

The World Council of Churches and Middle East Council of Churches affirmed that the world today faces a serious test of its humanity. “One does not need to be Lebanese or Arab to feel anger at what is happening in Gaza, Lebanon, and other Middle Eastern countries,” reads the message. “It is enough to be human in a time when we need to humanize humanity itself”…