Martyrdom is part of the salvation that God has granted us, and we have to consolidate the concept of salvation through the various fields in which we work

Incarnation is important in the MECC testimony,

especially as the Council prepares for its 50-Year Jubilee

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs:

 The biggest challenge lies in the MECC sustainability to fulfill its mission as a source for interaction and togetherness between Churches and other components of our societies

As part of his follow up to the work of the Middle East Council of Churches, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, MECC President for the Evangelical Family, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, and President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, visited the offices of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut, on Wednesday 8 February 2023. He was received by the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, alongside the MECC team from the various departments.

Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah Shed Lights, with “Danmission”, on How MECC Is Building Bridges Between Youth

In the World Interfaith Harmony Week which extends between 1 and 7 February yearly, Reverend Dr. Rima Nasrallah, Coordinator of the Ecojustice Unit at the Middle East Council of Churches, highlights how MECC is building bridges and bridging distances, especially between youth, through the "Season of Creation" campaign. It was via a video published on the social media platforms of the “Danmission” organization, which is one of the MECC partners.

Monsignor Antoine Audo on KTO TV: The Syrian people have determination and will move forward to overcome all difficulties

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake which struck Turkey, Syria and some countries in the Middle East, the Middle East Council of Churches launched a relief appeal through a statement issued by its Presidents and Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs on Monday 6 February 2023. In the statement, MECC calls on the international community and the international Ecumenical family to provide urgent emergency aid to the region, and urge the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria and allowing access to all materials.

The Middle East Council of Churches Calls On the International Community for Emergency Aid and Urges for Lifting Sanctions on Syria to Allow the Access of All Materials

Following the devastating earthquake which hit the north of the Middle East region, the Presidents of the Middle East Council of Churches held an emergency meeting, today on Monday 6 February 2023, in the presence of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and MECC President for the Orthodox Family, represented by His Eminence Metropolitan Saba Esber, His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church and MECC President for the Catholic Family, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church and MECC President for the Eastern Orthodox Family, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon and MECC President for the Evangelical Family, alongside the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs.

Skills development and capacity building are main objectives that the Middle East Council of Churches is seeking to achieve with its team work in Beirut and in the various countries of the region. This is in order to develop the potential of its members and enhance their professional, cultural, intellectual and spiritual performance.

Within this context, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs launched a training program which includes many monthly sessions focusing on the basics of organizational behavior and its foundations, in addition to its importance, especially in the institutions’ management. Thus, Dr. Abs held the first training session on Thursday 2 February 2023, during which attendees were the team work who participated at the offices of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut and online via Zoom.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, entitled “Interfaith Harmony”, on the occasion of the International Week of Interfaith Harmony which extends from 1 to 7 February every year.

The issue also includes a news about the visit of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, heading an MECC delegation, to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, at the Catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon.

Today begins the International Week of Interfaith Harmony, which is credited for its initiation to His Majesty King Abdullah II, King of Jordan, at the United Nations in 2010, with the aim of promoting cultural peace and renunciation of violence.

The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and approved this proposal and designated the first week of February as the International Week of Interfaith Harmony,  blending in it the promotion of religious and ethnic conflicts as well as requesting that all governments and NGOs celebrate it in various ways by initiating activities as well as programs that would help achieve harmony in a world in which interreligious as well as interethnic conflicts abound.

The United Nations also considered that dialogue between people belonging to different religions that would lead to mutual acceptance and understanding, constitutes the cornerstone for a culture of peace at international level, as well as for harmony between adepts to different religions in the world.

Thus, this week's activities constitute attempts intended to promote harmony among people of all religious creeds and sectarian affiliations.

Report: January 2023

Despite the positive advancements some Middle East countries are witnessing, others such as Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine are struggling amid economic difficulties. So far, global inflation has yet to let up and global recession might be soon upon us. As such, it will be difficult for most of these countries to maneuver past all the global changes. Hopefully, better off countries, especially those that benefited from the increase in oil prices, would offer assistance or forms of partnership that can boost the regional economy.       

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Presents a Lecture at USJ in Beirut:

There should be a connection between science and religion in order to guarantee both protection, so people’s religion may face people's tyrant and hence serve other people

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs delivered a lecture entitled “Religion and Power: Relations and Challenges”, on Wednesday 25 January 2023, at the Humanities Campus at the Saint Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut. This lecture was part of a series of seminars organized by the Department of Religious Sciences at the Faculty of Religious Sciences at USJ, under the title of “The Relation Between Power and Religion”.

Attendees were the Rector of the Faculty of Religious Sciences at USJ Father Salah Abou Jaoudeh, the Director of the Higher Institute of Religious Studies at the University, Sister Yara Matta, the Director of the Department of Religious Sciences at the Faculty Dr. Marguerite Asmar Bou Aoun. As well as, participants were professors and students from the Saint Joseph University and the Lebanese University.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs visited His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, at the Catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon. Dr. Abs was accompanied by an MECC delegation which included the MECC Associate Secretary general Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, and member of the MECC’s Executive Committee Dr. Jean Salmanian.

The meeting aimed to discuss with His Holiness some issues related to MECC.

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 details about the round table organized by MECC, as part of its monthly seminars, under the title “The Prisoner and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 26 January 2023, at the MECC Headquarters in Beirut. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Abs, it is entitled “Between punishment and Reform... Dignity”, and it was the speech which he delivered at the beginning of the round table.

For every crime, there is a punishment!

This is how we have been taught, and this is how laws are enacted and implemented, and this is how justice systems operate in the world.

People understand punishment as a punishment of a criminal act, a retaliation of each criminal according to his crime, and those affected by the crime declare that they have been psychologically relieved after the verdict or implementation of the punishment.

Moreover, in some cases, the affected people find that the verdict is not commensurate with the crime, and thus they express the depth of the damage or pain they have suffered, adding to that their disappointment with the judicial decision.

On the other hand, the perpetrator or his family find that the punishment was severe and harsh, and they give the perpetrator mitigating reasons to justify his criminal actions.

A Round Table Organized by MECC

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: If prison is not a place where the perpetrator regains his self-confidence and lost dignity because of what he had committed, then what a miserable place it is!

Amidst the exacerbated economic, social and political crises... in the region and the world, the human dignity is at risk, especially among the most vulnerable people. In light of the painful circumstances, the prisoner’s issue in the countries of the region seems to be forgotten or as if it is a side issue due to other humanitarian problems that may be considered as priorities for governments. But what are the prisoner's challenges today? How can we describe their psychological situation? What are the views of the law, society and religion towards the prisoner's issue?

Answers were highlighted during a round table held by the Middle East Council of Churches under the title "The Prisoner and Human Dignity", on Thursday 26 January 2023, as part of its series of monthly seminars. Participants were guests and experts who attended at the headquarters of the MECC’s General Secretariat in Beirut, or online via Zoom.

The seminar was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page and started with a speech delivered by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs.

The Communication and Public Relations Department at the Middle East Council of Churches have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of February 2023. It includes the Ecclesiastical and Liturgical feasts of the various families of Churches in the Middle East. In addition to international days identified by the United Nations, and which are related to the MECC identity and its spiritual and human mission.

A New Sewing Training Course Has Started

Despite the activities and lectures that raise the voice in order to protect women's rights and dignity, women are still facing marginalization, injustice and exploitation in many societies around the world. Hence, many initiatives are seeking to empower and support them, especially that they are an essential part of the societies and have an important role in its development.

As part of its work in preserving human values, the Middle East Council of Churches has been implementing special programs for women in order to support them and develop their skills. With the beginning of 2023, the MECC’s office in Jordan launched, on January 23, a new sewing training course, with the participation of 20 Jordanian, Iraqi and Syrian women from the most vulnerable groups.