On the 21st June, many families-parents and children- get together to celebrate fathers’ day. This year however, it was different for Paul Naggear; his 3-year old child was killed by the blast of August 4. After losing his child Alexandra, Paul Naggear vowed to stand up to the government at every chance. As such, he joined various demonstrations countless times, protesting against the conduct of a careless and corrupt government.

Report: 23 June 2021

Despite the ranking of nearby countries, Iran and Turkey, as 6th and 9th for highest and newest cases of the coronavirus worldwide, the Middle East is mainly in the recovery stage.

Children are the First Victims of Hospital Collapse

In the few past difficult days, Lebanese citizens woke up to good health news on the Coronavirus measures: the European Union included Lebanon on the white list, which means that the residents of the country are now allowed to travel non-essential trips to the member states of the Union without imposing the March 2020 measures on travelers. However, this glimmer of hope came in times of deepening crises that toppled the health and medical sector and hit it to the core, what about the citizens? Can they take any more blows?

«Soy un verdadero ortodoxo sirio cuando estoy abierto a otras iglesias; seguiré cumpliendo con mi deber en mi iglesia de ofrecer medios de comunicación cristianos»

«Ya que fuiste fiel en las cosas pequeñas, te daré grandes responsabilidades. Ven, comparte la alegría de tu maestro» (Mateo 25, 23); el Padre Joseph Bali es un colega y amigo que asumirá una mayor responsabilidad al ser ordenado Obispo el 25 de junio próximo por el Patriarca Mor Ignatius Aphrem II en la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Sede Patriarcal en Atchaneh - Líbano, con el Padre Roger Akhras y el Padre Kyrollos Babi.

El Padre Joseph Bali, fiel servidor, licenciado en Física y licenciado en Filosofía, ingresó en el Seminario Teológico Sirio San Efrén de Maarrat Saydnaya.

Ven, Espíritu Santo, y envíanos un rayo de tu luz desde el cielo

Es el día de la fundación y el nacimiento de la Iglesia, el día en que se le confió su misión: una comunidad de misioneros y testigos. Los discípulos aceptaron la palabra del Señor con gran alegría para predicarla por todo el mundo en una sola lengua, la lengua de Dios.

Es el día de Pentecostés, el recuerdo de la venida del Espíritu Santo sobre los apóstoles reunidos con la Madre de Dios en Sión, Jerusalén, tras la Ascensión de Jesucristo al corazón del Padre Celestial.

Es la celebración de la renovación que guía al hombre desde las tinieblas y el pecado hasta la luz y la castidad. Esta Luz divina fue mencionada en el Evangelio por Juan en el capítulo 8,12: «Yo soy la Luz del mundo. El que me sigue no caminará en la oscuridad, sino que tendrá la luz de la vida».

53 grupos de derechos libaneses, regionales e internacionales y particulares, así como 62 supervivientes y familiares de las víctimas y los bomberos, enviaron una carta conjunta a la ONU en la que pedían a la organización que iniciara su propia investigación imparcial. El motivo de este movimiento es la lenta y oscura investigación que no ha encontrado respuesta alguna. En su lugar, meses de burocracia política, obstrucción, evasión y retraso, han asfixiado la investigación; no hay que imaginar las fuerzas que actúan para ocultar lo que realmente ocurrió el 4 de agosto.

Patriarchal Media Director Father Joseph Bali:

“I am a true Syriac Orthodox when I am open to other churches,

I will continue to do my duty in my church to provide Christian media”

“Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.” (Matthew 25:23), Father Joseph Bali is a colleague and friend who will be taking on greater responsibility as he will be ordained a Bishop on the 25th of next June by Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II in the Church of Our Virgin Lady at the Patriarchal Headquarters in Atchaneh - Lebanon, with Father Roger Akhras and Father Kyrollos Babi.

Father Joseph Bali, the faithful servant, holding a BA in Physics and a MA in Philosophy, joined St. Ephrem the Syriac Theological Seminary in Maarrat Saydnaya.

The new issue of “Momentum”, the weekly newsletter issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, includes the weekly message of the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs entitled "In the Church of Christ, there is neither a refugee nor a stranger", a detailed report regarding the webinar “Covid-19 in Times of Unrest - economic crises and sociopolitical conflicts in the Middle East” organized by WCC and MECC.

Come, Holy Spirit, and send us a ray of your light from heaven

It is the day of the founding and birth of the Church, the day on which it was entrusted with its mission: a community of missionaries and witnesses. The disciples accepted the word of the Lord with great joy to preach it around the world in one language, the language of God... It is the day of Pentecost, the memory of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles who were gathered with the Mother of God in Zion, Jerusalem, following the ascension of Jesus Christ into the heart of the Heavenly Father. It is the celebration of renewal that guides man from darkness and sin to light and chastity. This divine light was mentioned in the Bible of John in chapter 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Report: 16 June 2021

The vaccination campaign continues to score additional inoculated people.

Some ME nations have started requiring people to be vaccinated to enter certain government or private establishments.

53 Lebanese, regional, and international rights groups and individuals, as well as 62 survivors and families of the victims and firefighters, sent a joint letter to the UN asking the organization to launch its own impartial investigation. The reason behind this move is the slow and obscure investigation that has been finding no answers whatsoever. Instead, months of political red tape, obstruction, evasion, and delay, have suffocated the investigation; there is no imagine the forces at work to hide what really happened on August 4.

Report: 1 to 11 June 2021

With the severe decrease in COVID-19 cases in almost every country, international donors and investors are re-organizing their efforts towards the development of this region. However, some countries are relying more than others on aid, depending on the type of political system in place. For instance, Egypt has taken advantage of inward investment to launch massive projects. Meanwhile, others such as Lebanon and Syria are struggling under economic sanctions imposed on key decision makers not in line with western policies.

Visita a Su Beatitud el Patriarca Youssef Al-Absi en Rabwe

La delegación de la Secretaría General del Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio sigue visitando a los jefes de las Iglesias del Líbano. El equipo visitó a Su Beatitud Youssef Al-Absi, Patriarca de la Iglesia greco-católica melquita de Antioquía, Alejandría y Jerusalén, en la sede del Patriarcado en Rabweh, Líbano.

El Secretario General del MECC, Dr. Michel Abs, encabezó la delegación que incluía al Secretario General Asociado, Padre Dr. Nicolas Bustros, al abogado Ibrahim Traboulsi, miembro del Comité Ejecutivo y a los miembros del equipo de la Secretaría General.

Visiting His Beatitude Patriarch Youssef Al-Absi in Rabweh

The General Secretariat delegation of the Middle East Council of Churches continues visiting heads of Churches in Lebanon. The team visited His Beatitude Youssef Al-Absi, Patriarch of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem, at the Patriarchate headquarters in Rabweh, Lebanon. MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs headed the delegation that included the Associate General Secretary Father Dr. Nicolas Bustros, Lawyer Ibrahim Traboulsi, member of the Executive Committee and members of the General Secretariat team.

“Let the children come to me and do not prevent them, because for such is the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16)

El medio ambiente se desangra, ¿alguien lo oye sufrir?

Alabado sea, Señor, nuestra hermana y madre tierra...

No es nuevo para la Iglesia dar un paso hacia el medio ambiente, la creación de Dios, para protegerlo o preservarlo. A lo largo de la historia, la Iglesia ha abordado muchas cuestiones relacionadas con el medio ambiente y la Tierra, y todavía hoy las sitúa en el centro de sus prioridades.

El medio ambiente nos necesita a los humanos y viceversa, y preservarlo es una de las cuestiones más urgentes, especialmente en medio del agravamiento de las crisis que lo afectan negativamente. El medio ambiente necesita un cuidado constante, necesita la intervención humana para ayudarle a crecer en la esencia con la que Dios lo creó.

A lo largo de 10 meses, muchas especulaciones sobre la causa de la explosión se han difundido en las noticias y en los medios de comunicación. Sin embargo, hasta este momento, estas especulaciones siguen sin estar respaldadas por pruebas concretas. Meses de trámites burocráticos e injerencias políticas han paralizado la investigación, lo que ha enfurecido aún más a las familias de las víctimas, a los libaneses en general y a la comunidad internacional.

The new issue of “Momentum”, the weekly newsletter issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, includes a video message from the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs for the occasion of the World Environment Day, and the MECC statement following the Amman Incident. It also Includes several articles, exclusive interviews, MECC Departments’ news, various Ecumenical reports.

The Environment Is Bleeding, Does Anyone Hear It Suffering?

Praise, my Lord, Our Sister and Mother Earth...

It is not new for the Church to take a step towards the environment, God’s creation, to protect or preserve it. Throughout history, the Church addressed many issues related to the environment and Earth, still placing them today at the center of its priorities.

The environment needs us humans and vice versa, and preserving it is one of the most urgent issues, especially amid the aggravation of crises negatively affecting it. The environment is in dire need of consistent care, it needs human intervention to help it grow in the essence God created.

Report: 7 June 2021

In light of the success of the vaccinations plans executed and the arrival of more variants of vaccines, the ME continues to score less infections while slowly untangling the economy.