The Fifth Scientific Conference Was Held Under the Title
“Strengthening Christian Faith Unity: The 1700th Jubilee Of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea”
The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs: We must develop a new text… which includes a commitment to the Ecumenical contract, as a new form of spreading the Christian message
The President of the Romaian Cultural Society Professor Najib Jahshan: Carry the banner of the Cross as Constantine the Great did, and be assured that through it alone you will triumph
You can find some photos at the end of the text.
In commemoration of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and the Romaian Cultural Society held the Fifth Scientific Conference under the title “Strengthening Christian Faith Unity: The 1700th Jubilee Of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea”. It was presided over by the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, with the presence of the Society's President Professor Najib Jahshan, on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the Liqaa Center, Rabweh - Lebanon.
The conference included four sessions attended by Priests, specialists from various fields, and official, cultural, intellectual, and social figures, as well as members of the Romaian Cultural Society and the Middle East Council of Churches’ team.
The event, which was broadcasted live on Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel, began with the Lebanese National Anthem and the Constantinople Anthem, followed by an opening speech delivered by the conference's host, the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Head of the Media Committee at the Romaian Cultural Society, and the Media Officer and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC. She noted, "The seventeenth century witnessed the Council of Nicaea, a momentous event that brought together elite Christian Leaders from around the world to discuss a serious matter. It resolved doubt with certainty, blocking the path to heresies and the distortion of the right belief."
Then, the President of the Romaian Cultural Society Professor Najib Jahshan, delivered a speech and said: “You who, in your Baptism, recited the Creed agreed upon by the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, do not remove the robe of Christ. Do not deny the message that your fathers and grandfathers entrusted to you two thousand years ago. Do not abandon the lineage that was first bestowed upon you in the city of God, the great Antioch... Carry the banner of the Cross as Constantine the Great did, and be assured that through it alone you will triumph.”
Afterwards, the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, delivered a speech in which he said: "The Ecumenical work, and I recall that its formal name is joint Christian work, has proven to be a mean of spiritual rapprochement among believers through the pursuit of shared service, which brings hearts together and breaks the walls of ice that have been drawn between the members of the one worldly Church... We must develop a new text, agreed upon by all components of the one and only Church of Christ, which includes a commitment to the Ecumenical contract, as a new form of spreading the Christian message...".
The sessions then began, with specialists and experts speaking about four topics, through a documented presentation on a giant screen that transmitted the conference details to the attendees in audio and video. These sessions focused on "The Historical Situation Prior to the Council," "The Ecclesiastical Problem Prior to the Council," "The Convening of the First Ecumenical Council, Its Agenda and Decisions," and "The Results of the Conference in the Short and Long Terms."
During the conference, the Late Historian Dr. Asad Rustum was honored and registered in the Golden Register of Deceased Roman Creatives of the Romaian Cultural Society. The honoree's family, represented by his son, Dr. Salah Rustum, received the registration certificate. For the occasion, the Head of the Committee for Honoring Creative People at the Romaian Cultural Society Dr. Elie Mouwakadie, and Dr. Salah Rustum, delivered speeches about the honoree's path, his most prominent milestones, and achievements.
At the end, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs delivered a word in which he presented the conference's conclusions and future aspirations regarding the topic under discussion.
The conference also included documented reports produced by the Middle East Council of Churches and the Romaian Cultural Society about the Council of Nicaea, the goals and aspirations of the Romaian Cultural Society, as well as the thought of Dr. Asad Rustum and his most important achievements.
