"My Lord and my God"

Faith, Renewal, and Life

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

His faith is a continuous passage to the Resurrection, life, and renewal. He is the fisherman known as the Twin from Galilee. He answered the Lord's call without hesitation, bearing witness to Him and His miracles. He is Saint Thomas the Apostle, who cried out with great confidence, "My Lord and my God."

Saint Thomas the Apostle is one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord Jesus, celebrated by all Church Families in their Liturgies and calendars. He is also the Patron Saint of the Chaldean Patriarchate, from whom the firm faith in Jesus Christ is derived and whose Feast Day is celebrated annually on July 3.

This Faith was emphasized by His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Chaldean Patriarch in Iraq and the World, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in one of his letters, when he said:

"The profound faith of Thomas, when he joined the Church in the Upper Room on the eighth day, is a great strength that sows hope in our hearts despite our fatigue, strengthens our confidence, and helps us overcome the difficulties and challenges initiated by the attempts of the 'forces of evil.'"

Middle East Socioeconomic Overview

Report: June 2025

Two rival powers in the region have finally clashed after years of ongoing tension and flashpoints. Although the escalation only lasted for a couple of weeks, it will most likely increase uncertainty in the region as well as socioeconomic hardships. The conflict came at a time during which the World Bank, has already forecasted that MENA countries' growth will decrease by 0.7% to 2.7% for the remainder of the year. Also, the bank also reduced its growth forecast for the region next year by 0.4 percentage points to 3.7%. As such, the conflict will force the World Bank as well as other organizations to rethink their economic predictions, as it is still yet not so clear how things will develop. For the time being, we can only hope the whole thing is over but given the massive animosity between the countries, one cannot be fully certain of a lasting peace.

And Bids Farewell to Its Human Resources Senior Officer Roula Saliba

The General Secretariat Team of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) held its weekly meeting, presided over by the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, with an online participation of the Associate Secretary General Rev. Dr. Refaat Fikry, and colleagues from various departments, both in person and online. The meeting took place on Tuesday, July 1st, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

As every week, the meeting began with a Biblical Reflection and Prayer, during which the brothers and sisters raised their Prayers on the occasion of the Feast of the Chiefs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Founders of the Antiochian See, celebrated on June 29, and the Feast of the Twelve Apostles, celebrated on June 30.

In this context, Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, the Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department, presented a spiritual reflection on the two occasions, based on a Biblical Text from Acts 9:1-25.

about the background and repercussions of the explosion at the Church of the Prophet Elias in Dweilaa- Damascus

“Momentum”

27-6-2025

This issue includes reports, videos, news, articles, and a full coverage of the latest developments of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), as well as the Church, Ecumenical, and social events…

This is in addition to the weekly word of the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs which is entitled in this issue “Words Before It’s Too Late”.

You can check the issue via the following link: https://mailchi.mp/c05a4257fff7/momentum-mecc-weekly-newsletter.

You can also subscribe to the Momentum Newsletter via the following link: https://mecc.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?id=fd3381352a&u=1db32cafe9ea32b38eb90480a.

This Video Is Produced by MECC.

What Are the Details?

Professor Michel Abs
The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

In front of the royal temple door, the Patriarch of Antioch, John X, most blessed, loving, and venerable, stood addressing fate, delivering words improvised for the occasion.

His Beatitude could not read what he had written, because the written word, for all its greatness, can imprison the spirit and restrain emotion, and the situation called for feeling as much as it did for reason.

The moment was solemn. Martyrs lay before the icon of the Lord and His Mother, beloved patriarchs attended in love and solidarity, believers came from all over the country, and grieving families, what a tragedy. It was a scene that summarized part of our troubled history, which has not known stability for centuries.

The Patriarch of love and wisdom addressed the martyrs who ascended on the Feast of the Antiochian Saints, entrusting them to the Lord where they have gone, asking them to pray for us, as they have preceded us to the dwellings of eternity, where the Lord’s true kingdom lies, never of this world.

His Beatitude addressed “our Christian children in all of Syria and everywhere in the world,” and also “every Syrian, whether Muslim or Christian,” because he saw that “what happened is not an isolated incident or an individual act or attack” targeting a person, family, or group, but “an assault on every Syrian and all of Syria.”

The Patriarch’s stance is deeply national, viewing the country’s people as equal in rights and duties, and, most importantly, equal in destiny, for the massacre - yes, a massacre- that targeted a key component of the country, targeted all of its people. Thus, he regarded the cradle of Christianity, Syria in its entirety, as concerned…

Father Nohra Sfeir, a Carmelite from the Discalced Carmelite Friars in Lebanon, in an Exclusive Interview with the MECC Media:

"The Relics of Saint Therese remind us of the steadfastness of faith and the importance of trust in God and surrender to Him

We are called to be messengers of love"

"I travel across Lebanon for the sake of love and peace." Saint Therese of the Child Jesus chose, on the centenary of her canonization, to travel across the Land of the Cedars from South to North, passing through various Dioceses, Churches, and regions, carrying flowers of hope and holiness to spread them in the land of holiness and faith.

While Lebanon is in dire need of a glimmer of hope at a time when it longs for stability and peace, the eyes of the Lebanese are fixed on the Relics of Saint Therese, which are returning to Lebanese territory for the second visit of its kind, between June 13 and July 20, twenty-three years after her first visit.

The heavens rejoice, the angels exult, and the faithful raise their Prayers, seeking the Saint's blessing and drawing from her strength, determination, and love. What is the significance of this visit? What are its implications for our lives today?

On June 25, 2025, an official delegation from the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) offered condolences in the hall of the Holy Cross Church_Al-Qassaa_Damascus, to His Beatitude Patriarch John X, for the Martyrs who died as a result of the terrorist attack that targeted Worshippers at St. Elias Church in the town of Dweilaa, near the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Sunday, June 22, 2025.

The delegation included the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, the Coordinator of the Dialogue and Human Dignity Programs Professor Laure Abi Khalil, the Coordinator of Media and Church Relations, the Journalist Mrs. Lea Adel Maamary, the Director of the Damascus Office Mr. Ghassan Shaheen, and many MECC employees in Syria.

The Secretary General expressed his pride in His Beatitude's national and social stances and expressed his willingness to provide whatever is needed from MECC to heal the wounds of our people in Syria.

In his turn, His Beatitude praised the MECC work and urged the delegation to continue the Council's journey as it is today.

After Offering His Condolences, Along with the MECC Delegation, to His Beatitude Patriarch John X, and to the Families of the Martyrs of the St. Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Dweilaa - Damascus