In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches the MECC General Secretariat issues its 2021 Annual Report under the title of "Against Wind and Waves: Challenging the Challenges". As for the message of the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled this week “The sea is not a false witness” and came after the incident of the migrant boat that capsized off Tripoli in north Lebanon, with 75 people on board. Noting that around 23 people were missed, as search and rescue operations continue by land and sea, and 6 people have died. The Lebanese army rescued 45 people.

The sea did not accept to be neither a false witness nor a dumb devil, so he informed us of all that it knows

He sent us the victims of our political, legislative and cultural violence, a lifeless people

They begged him to escape to a better tomorrow, fleeing from a society that has lost the meaning of mercy, justice and duty

But they were too weak for his requirements

They were too weak to cross their paths and go on their way, so they fell in the middle of the road

He has no fault, the sea, except that he is cruel

The General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches issues its annual report for the year 2021 under the title of "Against Wind and Waves: Challenging the Challenges". The report presents the MECC activities and the achievements it has accomplished at various ecumenical, theological and humanitarian levels.

Noting that international challenges and fluctuations occurred during 2021 and cast their shadows on the wounded Middle East, which was affected by the repercussions of these global and regional developments.

For refusing the restrictions on the Holy Saturday celebrations in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and for not restricting the freedom of believers in Jerusalem

In keeping with the alarming developments in the city of Jerusalem and the restrictions imposed by the occupying power on worshipers and pilgrims to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Middle East Council of Churches and its General Secretariat declare their support for the position of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and affirm the sanctity of freedom of religion and the right to worship and pray in the city of Jerusalem. Furthermore, the Council calls for a consolidation of this position and to rally around the principled and correct position of the Patriarchate.

The Patriarchate addressed a letter to the occupation police, rejecting any restrictions on the number of people who may celebrate Holy Saturday inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, its courtyard, its surroundings, its roof, or the entrances leading to it.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches you can find the message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs entitled this week “Christ is Risen...a Blessed Palms Sunday”, in which he tackled the moral, psychological, and social dimension of the absence of social consensus to adopt the same dates for religious occasions, shedding light on the importance of the unification of the feasts as an indicator of the unity of the soul in the believing community.

Confusing are religious occasions when there is no social consensus to adopt the same dates for them.

We will not enter into the theological or heritage dimension of the issue, as this field has its masters, but the psychological and social dimension is confusing, especially when it comes to the unknowing, or the non-Christian citizens.

As for the sons of churches, they are concerned with the unification of the feasts as an indicator of the unity of the soul in the believing community, since the different dates of the feasts are an indicator of division, separation and fragmentation, and no believer would accept that, as he considers it as a threat to his faith and the unity of the sons of his creed.

When will you unite the holidays? A question that citizens and institutions ask us; Moreover, there are some faith groups that have set their sights on the goal of unifying the holidays exclusively.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches you can find a news about the participation of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs in a solidarity meeting on the occasion of 9 years since the kidnapping of the Bishops Paul Yazigi and John Ibrahim, organized by the “Orthodox Encounter” and the “Syriac League”. As for the message of Dr. Abs for this week, it is the speech that he delivered during the solidarity meeting, entitled “The Registry Is Still Open - When Will the Registry Be Closed? In memory of the kidnapped shepherds”.

In memory of the kidnapped shepherds

To the three and a half million martyrs of the Orthodox Christians of Anatolia, we can add the name: Boulos Yazigi, the Shepherd and Martyr,

To the half a million martyrs of Syrian Christians we can also add a name: Youhanna Ibrahim, the Shepherd Martyr too,

They may be alive, but they are living martyrs, since what kind of a life did they have during or after all this detention?

Since the earthly powers were unable to tell us about their fate, should we inquire about it in the constellation of “Al-Farqadan”? *

You two high and exalted stars, have you seen two shepherds who disappeared while ministering to their flocks?

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs in a Solidarity Meeting with the "Orthodox Encounter" and the "Syriac League":

They may be alive, but they are living martyrs, since what kind of a life did they have during or after all this detention?

On the occasion of 9 years since the kidnapping of the Bishops Paul Yazigi and John Ibrahim, the “Orthodox Encounter” and the “Syriac League” organized a solidarity meeting on Monday, April 12, 2022 at Le Gabriel Hotel in Achrafieh, Beirut, entitled “We will not forget and we will not be quiet”. The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches participated in the meeting, and delivered a speech entitled “The Registry Is Still Open - When Will the Registry Be Closed? In memory of the kidnapped shepherds”.

MECC Sorrows Hope in Their Homes

“I cannot express how happy I am with this aid! will share it with my brother’s family”, “You’ve restored my faith in humanity! I haven’t received any aid for a long time”, “Hygienic and cleaning products are expensive, so we can’t afford it”… As such, elderly women in Lebanon expressed their urgent need for a glimmer of hope and support amidst the social collapse that made them drown in despair due to the economic, social and health crises... they are witnessing as all the Lebanese people.

A Follow Up to the MECC Training Courses and Programs in Amman

The Regional Director of the Service and Relief Department - Diakonia at the Middle East Council of Churches visited the MECC office in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where the office’s Director Mrs. Wafaa Al Qusous welcomed him. The visit aimed at following up the ongoing projects and looking forward to organize future programs in order to achieve the desired ecumenical and humanitarian goals.

March 2022: A Month of International Fluctuation and Development

As the drums of war sounded between Russia and Ukraine and Russian military operations escalated on the capital Kyiv, the world turned its attention to the difficult humanitarian reality in Eastern Europe. In its turn, the Middle East raised the alarm as the repercussions of this war affected most of the countries in the region, already suffering from years of wars, conflicts, and economic and social collapses.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches you can find a news about the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Lebanon on next June. As for the message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled this week “When fake becomes culture”.

El hombre inventa en su vida cotidiana métodos de trato y pautas de comportamiento que adopta en la gestión de sus asuntos vitales para asegurar sus intereses y preservar sus logros sociales, económicos, políticos y de otro tipo.

Son los mecanismos de autoconservación y autodefensa. La psicología los ha llamado «mecanismos de defensa», un concepto que se ha convertido en uno de los axiomas de la psicología y no hay controversia en torno a él, ya que se ha extendido incluso entre los no especialistas y la gente interpreta que muchos comportamientos entran dentro de este concepto.

Man invents in his daily life methods of dealing and patterns of behavior that he adopts in managing his life affairs in order to secure his interests and to preserve his social, economic, political and other achievements.

They are the mechanisms of self-preservation and self-defense. Psychology has called them "defense mechanisms", a concept that has become one of the axioms of psychology and there is no controversy around it, as it spread even among non-specialists and people interpret many behaviors as falling within this concept.

The Service and Relief Department - Diakonia, at the Middle East Council of Churches, Syria office, implemented a vocational training program aiming at supporting youth to enter the labor market in Damascus and Rural Damascus. 50 young trainees aged 18 to 45 participated in the trainings.

The professions taught were men hairdressing, chef training and tailoring and lasted for more than two months.

Pope Francis Visits Lebanon in June 2022

The Presidency of the Republic of Lebanon announced on its website that the Apostolic Nuncio Monsignor Joseph Spiteri informed that His Holiness Pope Francis will visit Lebanon next June. As for the date of the visit, it may be between 12 and 13 June, but it will be determined with the official program of the visit in coordination between Lebanon and the Holy See.

Workshops with Danmission Enhanced Cooperation with Humanitarian Organizations

Capacity building and skills improvement are main goals of the Middle East Council of Churches team, which seeks with every opportunity to develop the potential of its members and build their professional, intellectual and spiritual capabilities.

Lately, the team of the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department participated in a communication and media training workshop organized by the international humanitarian organization Danmission.