Together towards Achieving Gender Equality

Within the framework of working to reduce violence against women and achieve gender equality, the Service and Relief – Diakonia Department, Beirut’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches, implemented, during the last month of March, several awareness sessions on gender-based violence, in which 6 groups of 15 women attended. The sessions were held at the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese and at Our Lady Dispensary affiliated to MECC, in the Sabtieh region.

Since the International Women's Day theme for this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”, the sessions focused on the importance of gender equality and the necessity to fight gender-based violence. It also aimed to empower and support women and remind them that they are, such as men, an essential pillar in the development and prosperity of societies, while stressing the need to respect them, preserve their human rights and dignity.

Years of war have left behind an exhausted country, and youths who are unable to find employment opportunities that help them build a stable future. Unemployment rates among the youth have increased significantly in Syria, making emigration their only hope.

Although there are no accurate statistics about the rate of unemployment in Syria, a recent analytical study entitled "Unemployment in Syria" concluded that the largest percentage of unemployed people is among the youth category, which makes up about 70% of society and is the most productive group. As well as, Rural Damascus province includes the highest percentage of unemployed youth among Syrian provinces, according to the same study.

The Service and Relief Department – Diakonia, at the Middle East Council of Churches, Syria’s Office, worked in order to support the youth by implementing vocational training courses, through Livelihoods program. These courses help the youth improve their professional skills regardless of their educational level and enable them to become financially independent, rather than relying on humanitarian support that cannot be secured in the long term.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs held an online meeting with the Senior Program Manager at KAICIID organization Mr. Waseem Haddad, on Tuesday 18 April 2023, in the presence of the Human Dignity Project’s team at the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Laure Abi Khalil and Dr. Lubna Tarabey.

During the meeting, the attendees discussed ways of future cooperation and coordination between the Middle East Council of Churches and KAICIID, in various fields, especially in programs and projects related to dialogue, training and networking. They also exchanged point of views and experiences on how to develop work in dealing with conflicts and interaction between humanitarian, human and religious groups.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs:

During my reading of the book "A Citizen's Vision" by His Eminence Archbishop Mor Gregorius Youhanna Ibrahim, I was hearing the cry of a citizen leader, a visionary with an insightful view of things and an open mind

On the occasion of the tenth yearly commemoration of the abduction of their Eminences Archbishops of Aleppo Boulos Yaziji and Mor Gregorius Youhanna Ibrahim, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, held a Prayer meeting on the intention of the Archbishops’ safety and destiny. It was on the evening of Sunday 16 April 2023, at Mor Aphrem Cathedral in Aleppo, Syria.

Their Eminences Archbishops Mor Boutros Kassis, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo and Environs, and Mor Joseph Bali, Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Assistant, attended the Prayer, along with Bishops and Priests of Churches in Aleppo. Attendees were also the Mufti of Aleppo His Eminence Dr. Mahmoud Akkam, as well as intellectuals and invitees.

The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs

In A Special Interview on Télé Lumière - Noursat

Wednesday 19 April 2023, at 11 am Beirut time

Watch the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Professor Michel Abs in a special interview on Télé Lumière - Noursat, entitled " The Abducted and the Forcibly Absented", with the journalist Lea Adel Maamary, tomorrow, Wednesday 19 April 2023, at 11 am Beirut time.

This interview comes within the framework of the seminar and commemoration organized by MECC on the tenth yearly commemoration of the abduction of their Eminences Archbishops of Aleppo Paul Yazigi and John Ibrahim. The seminar is entitled “The Issue of the Abducted and Forcibly Absented, Violation of Human Dignity" and will be held on Monday 24 April 2023. Noting that at the end of the seminar, MECC will issue a statement in which it will officially will declare the 22nd of April as "The Ecumenical Day for the Abducted and the Forcibly Absented”.

Secretary General of ACT Alliance, in Geneva

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs met with the Secretary General of ACT Alliance Mr. Rudelmar Bueno De Faria, on Tuesday 18 April 2023, at the headquarters of ACT Alliance in Geneva, Switzerland.

During the meeting, Dr. Abs and Mr. De Faria discussed the work of both institutions in the Middle East region in order to achieve the common goals. They also talked about the humanitarian work and how to develop it in order to secure aid for the neediest groups, especially after the earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant. They also discussed matters related to coordination and cooperation between the two organizations, in addition to ways to develop the work mechanisms between them.

Metropolitans Paul Yazigi and John Ibrahim

The Middle East Council of Churches is Launching

"The Ecumenical Day for the Abducted and the Forcibly Absented"

And Invites you to a Seminar for the Occasion

24 April 2023, 10 am - 1 pm, Online

On the tenth yearly commemoration of the kidnapping of the Archbishops of Aleppo Paul Yazigi and John Ibrahim, and under the patronage of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, President of the Middle East Council of Churches, and His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, and under the patronage and with the presence of His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches, MECC is organizing a seminar and commemoration, on Monday 24 April 2023, from 10 am to 1:00 pm.

You can participate in the seminar online via the following zoom link: shorturl.at/doG57. It will be also broadcasted live on Télé Lumière and Noursat and other TV stations, and on the MECC Facebook Page.

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, which title is “Reflections in the time of the resurrection”. Dr. Abs spoke about the sacrifices of Jesus Christ, His infinite love and forgiveness, and described His crucifixion as an extraterrestrial, non-human, non-earth event, a heavenly and divine event.

The issue also presents a news about the Easter visit of the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs to His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches. In addition to a news about the Easter visit of Dr. Abs to Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches.

Today we are in the time of resurrection, the time in which the Master's divinity was manifested in its splendor, when He triumphed over annihilation and gave hope to humankind.

The little creature, immersed in sin and eager for interests, who is ready to eliminate the other, nay, the others, for the sake of his interests and the satisfaction of his selfishness, has learned the meaning of redemption.

Learn how the Son of Man, the Incarnated, the stronger than sin and the vanquisher of annihilation, sacrificed Himself for the sake of creatures that, since the beginning of their existence, had practiced nothing but reprehensible things, with the exception of a few in history, who had the same fate of the Master, but without the lessons that He provided us with in His Dignity.

Here He comes among us, with great humility that has no equal, and grew among us, like any ordinary person, carried out His message to the fullest, without being asked for from anyone, without oppressing anyone, but with all willingness and love, which culminated in self-sacrifice.

On the human level, the purest of testimonies is the testimony of blood, and here the incarnate shed His blood as a ransom for us, for the New Testament.

On the Occasion of Easter, His Holiness Patriarch Mar Awa III Royel, Catholicos – Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, sent a letter to the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs.

You can find the full text of the letter.

On the occasion of Easter for the Churches that celebrates it following the Western Liturgical calendar, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Dr. Michel Abs, visited Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches, at the Church in Kantari region in Beirut, and wished him a Happy Easter. The visit was held in the presence of Church Priests, parishioners and personalities.

On the occasion of Easter for the Churches that celebrates  it following the Western Liturgical calendar, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Dr. Michel Abs, and the Associate Secretary General, Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, visited His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches, at the Patriarchate's headquarters in Achrafieh - Beirut, and wished His Beatitude a Happy Easter. The visit was held in the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Georges Assadourian, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Armenian Catholic Church, nuns, clergy, parishioners and personalities.

On the occasion of the Feast of Easter, His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan Moussi, Greek Orthodox Bishop of Byblos, Batroun and Dependencies (Mount Lebanon) sent a greetings letter to the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs and to the members of the MECC family.

You can find the full text of the letter in Arabic.

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, which title is “Dignity for the afflicted person”. It was the speech he delivered during the last monthly webinar organized by MECC, on Thursday 30 March 2023, and in which he talked about the human dignity and the vulnerable people.

The issue also includes details about this monthly webinar which centered around the dignity for the afflicted people. It was also broadcasted on the MECC Facebook page (Part 1 – Part 2). Noting that this webinar was part of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”, which MECC is implementing consecutively.

He is the homeless, the displaced, the refugee, the miserable, the unemployed, the marginalized, the abandoned, and the rejected.

He came to the wrong place at the wrong time.

He is the one who life retained its gifts from him and threw him into poverty until he became lost in the labyrinths of life.

Life is a fragile, meager structure, which in moments may turn into rubble... In a blink of an eye a person's life may turn into ashes.

The last glaring example before us is the night of the earthquake of the land north of Antiochian Levant, from Marash to Midyat, to Antioch, to Jableh, to Latakia, and to Aleppo. On that night, the lives of safe people turned into hell, and whoever had a roof to shelter him, had the sky as a roof, and whoever had a source of livelihood that avoided destitution, was waiting for his turn to get some of his food.

Organized by the International Organization for Migration and Orthodox Partners

At the invitation of the International Organization for Migration and Orthodox Partners, the Middle East Council of Churches represented by its Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, alongside the Director of the MECC Diakonia Department Eng. Samer Laham, participated in an international meeting entitled “Migration Challenges and Opportunities”, on Wednesday 5 April 2023, in the presence of representatives of various Churches, humanitarian organizations and concerned parties online or in person in Athens, Greece.

During the meeting, which you can watch it by clicking here, Laham delivered a message in which he presented an introduction about the Middle East Council of Churches, its mission, and the Ecumenical and humanitarian work it implements in the Middle East through various programs, especially its efforts to preserve human rights and dignity.

The New Webinar Organized by MECC

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: We live daily the tragedy of the afflicted person until it has become a natural part of our daily scene

As part of its series of monthly seminars, the Middle East Council of Churches held a new webinar entitled "Dignity for the Afflicted People", on Thursday 30 March 2023, with the participation of specialists, academics, and attendees interested in the topic. Noting that this webinar is organized within the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”, which MECC is implementing consecutively.

The webinar, which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page (Part 1 - Part 2), included three interventions on the topic at hand. It was moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh who described in his opening note the moments of terror that people witnessed following the earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant, focusing on the importance of human dignity and how to preserve it, especially after disasters and in times of trouble.

A Survivor Reports the Bitter Situations She Passed Through Following the Disaster

Two months have passed since the catastrophic earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant. The Syrian people are still suffering, with great pain, from its tragic effects, which turned their lives upside down. In fact, the Syrians’ wounds have not yet healed, especially that the earthquake’s repercussions are enormous on various living levels. Hence, families are searching for safety and hope in a wounded country that is still witnessing escalating conflicts and crises.

Report: March, 2023

With China as mediator, the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia will have positive implications on the stability of the Middle East. During an era of global economic decline and mounting societal pressure, such move can bring opposing visions together to reshape the political and socioeconomic landscape of the region. Countries such as Iraq and Lebanon, which are home to several distinct political parties, should witness tangible change in terms of inter-party dialogue.