Report: 15 to 23 April 2021

As tensions heat up in Eastern Ukraine and the Pacific Ocean, attention seems to be shifting elsewhere away from the ME. For the moment, security risks and challenges seem to be occupying the minds of top decision makers, instead of working to end wars, abolish poverty, and save the children in the Middle East.

On the 23rd of April, Saudi Arabia declared that it has seized large amounts of drugs in a vegetable shipment from Lebanon and consequently, imposed a ban on Lebanese agricultural products. Similarly, Greek authorities announced seizing four tons of cannabis worth €33 million, hidden in dessert-making machinery at Piraeus that was en route from Lebanon to Slovakia.

Bringing life back to St. Mesrob Church and Ishakian School

Upholding Human dignity cannot be achieved in words but in deeds

We share together God’s resources

Amidst the deteriorating living conditions in the East, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) launches its new appeal in order to maintain the humanitarian and residency needs to directly affected Syrian and Iraqi refugees as well as host communities in Jordan.

Eight years after the Kidnapping of both Bishops Youhanna Ibrahim and Paul Yazigi, the Middle East Council of Churches once again calls upon concerned references, the Arab and international community, as well as humanitarian organizations, urging them to work to uncover the fate of Aleppo’s Bishops, priests and all kidnapped people.

For a hundred and six years, the Armenian people remembered the attempt of extermination that they were subjected to at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century.

A secure, peaceful and creative people who suddenly found themselves in a state of lethality and homelessness.

July 25, 2021 is no longer just another day worldwide, as it has become a day dedicated to honor the grandparents and elderly in general. So let us prepare for this special day to thank and appreciate them. On this occasion, we will celebrate with our family and grandparents as they have a role in consolidating faith and promoting love and intimacy between the members of the family or the society generally...

On the remembrance day of the Armenian genocide, one of the greatest human catastrophes in human history, it is necessary to shed light on a historical site that embodies this tragic massacre. The ancient Lebanese city of Byblos embraces at its heart the culture of people who have long suffered.

1915 – 2021

Criminality and Denial still in work

The 24th of April marks the day of the Armenian Genocide remembrance of 1915. WWI was the right time for Turkey to execute long planned extermination of the Armenian people living in Western Armenia. The strategy was to create a homogenous Turkish state through Turkification of the ethnic minorities within the empire, a policy that culminated in the systematic annihilation of the Armenian population.

Evangelical churches are characterized by their autonomy, diversity and geographic independence

It is true that several initiatives have sought to strengthen the movement of unity between Churches, but the main goal remains bridging distances between all Church families while preserving their differences. This diversity characterizes all churches at different levels such as beliefs, prayers, and traditions ...

Lead investigator Judge Tarek Bitar ordered on 15 April, the release of six people detained in connection to the devastating Beirut Blast. However, the judge rejected the release of 19 other people. This is certainly a sign of our judicial system is working by weeding out those that are deemed innocent from those who are to-be caught.

Syria and Lebanon

Humanitarian Update

Reporting period: from 12 to 19 April 2021

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) works in a very turbulent, volatile and confused environment, and sometimes finds itself in positions that require a lot of audaciousness and daring to deal with its components.

The MECC, which includes all the churches of the area and has been operating for nearly half a century, has accumulated experience and know-how in areas in which it has shown appreciative success.

MECC General Secretariat held its annual meeting today on 14th April 2021 with international and regional partner organizations and institutions on Zoom to discuss different opinions and share knowledge in order to develop the role of the council and improve work mechanism and cooperation in future projects.

As children of the Church, we stand out because we are neither broken nor defeated by Hell

The forty-day fasting time is considered one of the most important seasons loaded with prayers, ecclesiastical celebrations and various spiritual meetings in which the faithful participate with commitment, especially the youth whose presence has always been characterized by positive energy, vitality and hope... They are always overjoyed to prepare for the holy week and Easter as they strive to spread hope in the hearts of many brothers.

Report 1 to 13 April 2021

Recently, the IMF revised its projections of the real GDP growth in the (MENA) region to increase it to 4 percent in 2021, an upgrade of 0.9 percent relative to the fund’s October projections. This is due to the fact that MENA countries have managed to lessen the impacts of the pandemic on their economies through certain policies that set the balance between the people’s health and the protection of the economy.

On the 9th of April 2021, two German firms unveiled a reconstruction plan that would turn Beirut port and its surroundings into a major lucrative area, according to European standards. Speaking at a press conference in Beirut, Colliers Germany’s managing director Hermann Schnell stated “affordable housing for families, green space and good infrastructure” is one of the goals of the project.