From the Coptic Orthodox Church to the Whole World

Do You Know What Path the Family Took?

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

"Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you..." (Matthew 2:13). With this verse, Matthew the Evangelist revealed in the second Chapter the Holy Family’s refuge to the land of Egypt, an escape to this eastern country holding a historic, geographic and cultural importance, according to His Holiness Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Mark Tawadros II. But why fleeing? What is the path the family has taken?

Matthew the Evangelist mentions the reason for Jesus’ fleet to Egypt in the same chapter and the same verse, when he said, “Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him” (Matthew 2:13). This boy, whose almost suffered the same fate as the rest of the children of Bethlehem who were killed by King Herod after his failure to destroy Jesus through the Magi, for “having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.” (Matthew 2:12)

Joseph obeyed the angel and took his family to escape from Herod's tyranny to the land of Egypt, despite the hardships and dangers of travel at that time; The entry of the Holy Family to this country became a celebration of the Coptic Orthodox Church with the Fraihi rite on the 24th of the month of Bashans of the Egyptian calendar or the first of June of each year, as celebrated in the first centuries AD.

A Blessing for the Country and a Source of Spiritual and Human Values

Our Colleague Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and the Director of the North Office of Noursat-Télé Lumière, participated in the 59th World Media Day Mass at St. Takla Church in Bkassine - Jezzine. She said the following intention:

"We pray for every journalist to realize the importance of their work as a transmitter of hope, to avoid all forms of misinformation and polarization at the expense of truth, and to courageously commit ourselves to humanitarian and social causes that preserve human dignity."

Details in This Report

This issue includes reports, videos, news, articles, and a full coverage of the latest developments in the activities 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 Month of Mary: A Common Religious Space”.

You can check the issue via the following link: https://mailchi.mp/d0b8a8.../momentum-mecc-weekly-newsletter.

About the Fifth Scientific Conference "Strengthening Christian Faith Unity: The 1700th Jubilee Of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea," organized by the Middle East Council of Churches and the Romaian Cultural Society

Guests of the Episode: Professor Najib Jahshan, Dr. Elie Mouwakadie, and Professor Elias Saad

Episode by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary

Watch the opening of this conference at 9:00 am Beirut time live on Télé Lumière-Noursat TV Channel, the Middle East Council of Churches’ platforms, and the Romaian Cultural Society’ sites.

On the Occasion of the 59th World Communication Day

*Home care services are available at reasonable and discounted prices.

*Home care services are available at reasonable and discounted prices.

An Episode Within the "Community Knowledge" Series

MECC Presents the Constantinople Hymn

Praying for the Ascension Thursday

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs presided over the weekly meeting of the MECC General Secretariat, with an online participation of the Associate Secretary General Reverend Dr. Refaat Fikry, and colleagues from various departments, in person and online. The meeting took place on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

As is customary, the meeting began with a Biblical Reading, which this week focused on the Gospel of Luke 46: 24-53 and Acts 1: 1-14. The attendees then raised their Prayers on the occasion of the Ascension Thursday, saying together, "Lift with you, O Lord, our souls and minds from emptiness and temporal concerns to divine understanding and truth."

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs received Deacon Royce Bahjat Samir Malak Hanin, Head of the Committee of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Lebanon, appointed by His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Eastern Orthodox Family. The meeting took place on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

Attendees were Ms. Nina Hallak, the Director of the Beirut Office in the Diakonia and Social Service Department at MECC, the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and Director of the Platform of the Word at MECC, and the Council's Media Team.

Child Labor Is a Phenomenon That Is Worsening Daily. Are There Any Solutions to Reduce It?

Dr. Haifa’ Salam to the MECC Media: It is necessary to develop a national strategy for social protection in Lebanon

Exclusive: Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

A phenomenon unlike any other social phenomenon... a phenomenon that affects the rights of the most vulnerable groups... They are the children searching for their childhood in street corners, factories, mines, agricultural lands, and deserts... searching for rights that have been taken away from them under a scorching sun, bitter cold, and the worst conditions a person can experience. The reason?

They were forced to work! They were forced to give up the innocence of childhood to face the harshness of life.

Child labor is nothing but the murder of a childhood deprived of play, entertainment, proper upbringing, and education.

A dangerous reality that we cannot ignore. Who bears responsibility for the danger they are exposed to? And is there anyone who listens to their pain?