The report presents a brief overview about the Papal Logos Center in Wadi El Natrun in Egypt, this historical place where the MECC 12th General Assembly is being held, hosted by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. The video was prepared by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department in cooperation with the Media Center affiliated to the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt.

The Church of the East Denounces All Conflicts and Wars and Calls On the Christians of the Region to Cling to hope

“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27)

The Middle East Council of Churches launches its 12th General Assembly, on Monday, May 16, 2022, under the title of “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27) at the Logos Papal Center in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, with the generous hospitality of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, and with the support of the Evangelical Church in Egypt. The Assembly is attended by representatives of 21 Churches from the Middle East. They all stressed on the importance of renewal and attachment to hope and to our faith in Jesus Christ, because with His presence we are neither afraid or discouraged. As well as, they stressed on the need to cling to our East and Land, the Cradle of Christianity.

The martyrdom of Sherine Abu Aqleh is a shocking re-affirmation of the right of the Palestinian people to establish their state, with Jerusalem as its capital

With shock and great sadness, the Middle East Council of Churches headquartered in Beirut and the Ecumenical Palestinian organizations and members of the ACT Alliance working in Palestine and the region received the news of the assassination of the prominent television correspondent, Ms. Shereen Abu Aqleh. As she was engaged with her professional journalistic work, she was fell assassinated by a bullet fired from Israeli occupation forces in Jenin, in the Northern West Bank.

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 press release including details about the launching of the MECC 12th General Assembly on Monday 16 May 2022, with the hospitality of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, at the Papal Logos Center in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt.

This is the theme of the Twelfth General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches, held for the first time in Egypt, as the Council is overseeing its fiftieth anniversary.

From all the corners of the globe, we meet to the land of the See of St. Mark, renewing the covenant on communication and solidarity in faith, love and service.

Spiritual leaders, partners and delegates of international institutions, local partners and workers in the Council's institutions, are all coming to hear what the Ecumenical Stronghold in the Middle East has to say to them.

They are all coming to tell us their concerns and to hear our plans and aspirations.

Monday 16 May 2022

Hosted by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II

The Middle Eastern Churches Will Meet in a Historical and Ecumenical Event

New Hope Under the Title of “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27)

Under the title of “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), the Middle East Council of Churches kicks off its 12th General Assembly on Monday 16 May 2022, focusing on many issues related to the Middle Eastern Christians, their challenges, aspirations and strength of their presence in unity. Participants from the MECC four Church families will define a future vision that guarantee the consolidation of the ecumenical spirit and the achievement of the most important humanitarian and social goals among all the people of the region.

And Its 12th General Assembly Will Be Held This Month

The Communication and Public Relations Department at the Middle East Council of Churches have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of April 2022. The most prominent Ecumenical event for this month will be the MECC 12th General Assembly, which will be held between May 16 and 20, 2022, under the title of “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), with the generous hospitality of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, at the Papal Logos Center in Wadi El Natrun in Egypt.

A Message of Peace and Love

Under the theme of “the essential of our life, grant us today”, 800 young men and women from different Churches in Syria, aged between 18 and 25 years old, participated together in an ecumenical youth meeting in cooperation with the French community “Taizé”. This meeting was held for the first time in Syria and lasted for 3 days at the Jesuit Fathers Monastery in Homs Governorate.

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 MECC Annual Report 2021. As for the message of the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled this week “Against Wind and Waves: Challenging the challenges”, and was published as the introduction of this report.

As well as, the issue presents an Arabic report about the ecumenical meeting organized for the Syrian Youths in Homs, under the theme of “the essential of our life, grant us today”.

It seems that every new year that dawns on the Middle East-as well as on Lebanon too as it is part and parcel of it- is destined to be worse than its predecessors at all levels, political, safety-wise, economic, social and environmental, all of which reflect mounting despair among people constantly living a decline in their standard of life as well as in a decline in the extent of their aspirations and in the prospects to their future.

Therefore, whenever we bid farewell to a year, we wonder to what extent the next year will be worse and at what level.

The year 2021 was just one of the lean years that passed over the greater part of the Middle East, as it was subject for decades to attempts at destruction, dismantling, impoverishment, displacement, and emigration.

Report: April 2022

As the war in Ukraine rages, food and energy prices are increasing in the Middle East and in the rest of the world. If it were not from some reform policies being enacted, the region’s food security would be in worse conditions. However, the region is suffering from inflation and unemployment is still recording substantial numbers. While the conflict in Eastern Europe have yet to simmer down, it is time for the nations of the ME region to enhance cooperation with one another to achieve common good.

Together, Towards a Free, Pluralistic, and Independent Journalism!

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.