In a main news item presented by a Tunisian media agency, it suggested that the materials that caused the explosion at the Beirut port on the fourth of last August came from Tunisia. Due to the disappearance of a very significant amount of "ammonium" from the chemical complex in the Governorate of Gabes (southern Tunisia) between 2013 and 2019, such a correlation can be built.

Syria and Lebanon

Humanitarian Update

Reporting period: from February 22 to March 1, 2021

New Associate Secretary General for the Catholic family appointed

The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches held an online meeting on Thursday 25 February, 2021 instead of attending in person, respecting the preventive measures to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. All the committee members from Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Cyprus and Lebanon participated.

Fundamentalism is an ideology that submits individuals and groups to the whole system of belief and rituals of a thought without any flexibility or any acceptance of difference with the other.

The fundamentalists deal with their beliefs with a rigid logic that does not accept dialogue. It is the hardening of the letter against the soul and the mind. The fundamentalists consider their cause as a universal and eternal dimension, as they consider themselves responsible for the fate of humanity through their faith.

I, as an Iraqi citizen, should feel at home in Iraq

His Holiness Pope Francis the Prophetic voice in the world; “Prepare the way for the Lord…” (Isaiah 40:3) and be brothers in humanity… - carries projects of love, forgiveness and dialogue in his suitcase once again as he makes his way to Iraq with the certainty of a good shepherd telling the doubtful: “I want to be near the tormented…”

The Pope’s visit to Mesopotamia and the land of Abraham from March 5 to 8 bears great hope for an East burdened with grief, filled with conflicts and wars, and promises that the visit will make a change in Iraq.

The Middle East can rejoice with news of the arrival of the vaccine to Palestine.

“Today you have killed us all over again!...”

In a recent turn of events, Judge Fadi Sawan was removed from the investigation of Beirut Blast due to absurd reasons. Someone or some entity wanted him off the investigation and as a result, he was replaced by Judge Tarek El Bitar. Families of the victims were devastated by this news as this showed that the state would never hold the powerful to account.

Syria and Lebanon

Humanitarian Update

Reporting period: from 15 to 22 February 2021

Pope Francis will make the first papal visit ever to Iraq in March to encourage the dwindling faithful. War and terrorism have hemorrhaged the nation’s Christians, but he hopes they might return.

Meanwhile in Lebanon, Michel Abs, recently selected as the new leader of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), agrees with the pontiff.

Online Meeting and Evaluation of the Implementation Phase

Following up on the work of the “The Restoration Fund for rehabilitation of faith-based social services & religious infrastructure damaged during the crisis in Syria” program, members of the Committee in charge of following up on the program held an electronic meeting which the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs attended for the first time after his election.

We confess to You, O Lord, that we have persevered in our sinfulness,

We admit to You, O creator of the universe, that we have corrupted Your creation,

We confess to You, Lord of the universe, that we have forgotten Your commandments,

We confess to You, Loving Father, that we have offended Your love,

We confess to You, O Most Merciful, that we did not show mercy to each other

Report: 1 to 15 February 2021

With the vaccination drive beginning in many ME countries, the economy might finally start to untangle itself. Yet, discrepancies were observed in some countries as socioeconomic standards of the population or government inability to provide the vaccine, might stop them from getting vaccinated.

When churches closed their doors to the believers while they were in dire need of assuaging their spiritual thirst facing the threat of the Coronavirus and the imposed quarantine, a religious issue was brought up: Is our relationship with God threated?

While the world experiences emergency measures for more than a year, trying to curb the deadly virus, the answer came through modern media, which sought to present the essence of Christian beliefs, especially during holidays and their rituals, accompanying believers during these difficult times.

FAQs about Coronavirus Vaccine

COVID-19 Vaccine Pre-Registration Form

More than a year has passed and the virus still threatens humanity, especially those struggling to survive in the sad East. In light of dangerous economic and social collapses topped by serious political conflicts putting the region on the edge of a cliff, the Coronavirus was the icing on the cake, adding to the misery, deepening wounds and increasing the pain with thousands of victims and infected daily.

Syria and Lebanon

Humanitarian Update

Reporting period: from 8 to 15 February 2021

Those concerned with the history of our nation stand amazed by the conditions in which lived hermits who have withstood storms of all kinds, preserving their faith and its treasures for generations that have not yet been born.

The strength of belief, the power of faith and self-denial, imprinted believers and hermits of our wounded Levant.

The hermits and believers of Christianity have written epics of heroism and devotion, the most majestic in history.

We pray together for those struggling with the deadly Coronavirus and the souls of those who have passed onto God's hands. The prayer will be held online under the title: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4: 35-41), on Friday February 12, 2021, at 7:00 pm Beirut time.

Télé Lumière and Noursat Programming Director Marie-Therese Kreidi: Today Media is the Church’s Voice and Hope for Believers

More than a year has passed and the Coronavirus is still spreading around the world, imposing exceptional conditions and a health lockdown that didn’t even spare worship houses and churches included in many strict health measures taken around the world and in the Middle East.

Luqman Salim, a victim of the ongoing corruption in Lebanon

The German company “Combi Lift” which was tasked with disposing of chemicals in Beirut Port after the explosion that occurred on August 4, revealed that what it found there was a "second Beirut bomb."