With the Zovighian Public Office and the Syriac League

Professor Laure Abi Khalil: "Our call is to work together to make human dignity the first and ultimate foundation of religious freedom in our world"

At the invitation and organization of the Zovighian Public Office and the Syriac League, a roundtable on "International Religious Freedom in Lebanon and the Middle East" was held on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at the Zovighian Public Office headquarters in Beirut.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs participated in the roundtable as a speaker, represented by Professor Laure Abi Khalil, the Coordinator of the "Dialogue, Social Cohesion, and the Preservation of Human Dignity" program at MECC. She delivered an intervention on how to protect religious communities in Lebanon and ways to defend religious freedom.

And Celebrates the "Season of Creation” During this Month

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of September 2025. 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.

As well as, MECC celebrates the “Season of Creation” 2025 between September 1 and October 4, bearing this year the theme “Peace with Creation” and the symbol of “Garden of Peace”, inspired by Isaiah 32: 14-18.

Middle East Socioeconomic Overview

Report: August 2025

The war in Gaza reached a new phase of human suffering. Now, the occupation is proceeding to invade the sector to achieve full takeover. However, the process is involving increased suffering as the war escalates and the occupier is increasingly committing heinous war crimes. Hospitals are being targeted, journalists are being killed, and aid supplies are being disrupted as more civilians are being slain in the process. All of this is happening for the glory of a radical dream and ideology which doesn’t care about wrong or right or number of lives destroyed.  

Eighth Episode - "Shine, O Syria… From Aleppo"

Prepared and Presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary

Produced by MECC

MECC Wishes Success to the New Administrative Board

On the occasion of the election of Reverend Ibrahim Nsier as President of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, on behalf of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) family, extends his warmest congratulations to him, wishing him many years of goodness, blessings, and holiness.

The Middle East Council of Churches raises its Prayers to God on the intention of Reverend Nsier, asking Him to bless his service, bestow His abundant blessings upon him, and grant him the determination to carry out his new mission so that he may continue to be a model of love, giving, and work in the Lord's field.

The Secretary General Professor Michel Abs also congratulates Reverend George Mrad on his election as Vice President, and the members of the new Administrative Board after their election for the next term, wishing them continued health and success in their service to the Church of Christ.

Noting that this election took place during the 62nd General Assembly of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, held at Dhour Choueir Evangelical Center, from September 1 to 3, 2025.

Environmental Justice is an Urgent Issue in Light of All the Dangers Threatening the Creation!

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

With hope mixed with the joy of Prayer and working together, and with a firm belief in love and solidarity, the Ecumenical family in the Middle East and the world celebrates on of the most glorious annual Ecumenical seasons. It is the "Season of Creation," which calls on every person on this earth to renew their relationship with God and all His creatures.

This year's "Season of Creation" coincides with two important occasions: the 1700th Commemoration of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and the tenth anniversary of the Encyclical "Laudato Si'," issued by His Holiness the late Pope Francis on the protection of our common home.

The Environment Cries Out in Pain, and the Season of Creation Rings the Alarm Bell!

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

"O Most High, all-powerful, good Lord God, to you belong praise, glory, honor and all blessing. Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation…" How great is the beauty of your home, O God, and how great is the work of your hands!

With Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology and the Canticle of the Creatures, we praise and glorify the Lord, thanking Him for His gifts, and rejoicing in His creatures. But wait! Do we truly rejoice in God's creatures while His creation groans in pain? Do we truly hear the cry of the earth and all that is in it?

Indeed, our common home is under threat! This is a bitter truth that we cannot ignore, especially as God's creation today faces enormous environmental challenges due to many climate, social, humanitarian, and economic crises casting their shadows over the planet Earth.

Emotional Support Sessions for Men in Lebanon

In light of the difficult circumstances facing Lebanon and the region, men are facing a stifling wave of despair and stress due to the intense daily pressures they face. Therefore, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is committed to supporting, accompanying, and empowering them to overcome their living crises with great hope.

In this context, the Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches, in collaboration with ABAAD, launched a six-week series of emotional support sessions for men.

These sessions aimed at reducing gender-based violence by helping men explore their emotions, develop coping mechanisms, and practice non-violent communication. In this way, we help in creating a positive environment at their homes and nurturing a healthy relationship with their families.

*Home care services are available at reasonable and discounted prices.

Stemming from its belief in the importance of serving with dignity, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) launched a new platform for homecare services in Lebanon, enabling service seekers to identify certified caregivers who have undergone extensive health training with Saint George Hospital University Medical Center (Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and Tripoli) and Khoury General Hospital (Zahle, Lebanon). Hence, the platform offers a variety of home services related to elderly care, mothers and newborn care, as well as babysitting and childcare.

In this context, the video sheds light on how this platform works and the details of its services.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Invites You to the Second Symposium on Eco-Theology It Organizes Under the Title "Peace with Creation, Spiritual and Practical Perspectives from the East"

10-11 October 2025 - At the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Abbassia - Cairo

In the "Season of Creation":

"Peace begins with humanity and ends with all of creation"

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

On the occasion of the opening of the "Season of Creation" 2025, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, raised his Prayers on the intention of peace, truth and justice in the world, supplicating to the Lord Jesus to grant believers the wisdom and strength to continue their efforts in order to protect God's creation.

His Beatitude Patriarch Al-Rai delivered his blessing, via video, at the end of the international Ecumenical Prayer Service, held online, on Monday, September 1, 2025.

Addressing the world from the Middle East, His Beatitude said:

"Peace begins with the human being and extends to all of creation. Today, the world is in desperate need of peace among people. Wars, conflicts, displacement, and all forms of injustice must come to an end. Let us strive to live in peace with every person, for glorification of the Creator passes through the peace we build with those created in His image and likeness."

His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai Delivers the Closing Blessing from the Middle East to the Entire World

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

The 2025 “Season of Creation” is launched in the Middle East and around the world under the theme "Peace with Creation" and the symbol "Garden of Peace." For the occasion, an international Ecumenical celebration was held online on Monday, September 1, 2025, at the invitation of many Church and Ecumenical Leaders from around the world, as well as the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and concerned organizations and institutions.

The celebration, which you can watch on the official “Season of Creation” channel on YouTube, by clicking here, included an Ecumenical Prayer Service and various reflections about the “Season of Creation,” the theme of this year and the meanings it carries.

The Middle East was present and participating in the celebration, where His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, delivered a concluding blessing, praying to God, the God of justice and peace, and calling on the faithful to work to protect God's creation and all that is in it.

"The Canonization of Archbishop Maloyan is a ray of new hope"

Produced by the Middle East Council of Churches

“Ecumenical Horizons” is a weekly program that features spiritual, cultural, intellectual, educational, youth and environmental topics.

The Middle East Council of Churches, Rooted in Its Theological Faith, Carries the Environmental Issue Through a Series of Environmental Activities

While our world is immersed in security, social, environmental, and health crises that cast their shadows across the globe, clinging to hope remains a source of strength and determination to work together for peace and justice for all of God's creation, despite all the challenges surrounding it.

Amidst the conflicts and wars that burden the people of the Middle East and the world, many initiatives have emerged and seek to highlight the importance of the environmental issue, raising their voices loudly to instill an ecological culture in order to preserve the environment, which is being threatened.

Hence, the "Season of Creation" rings the alarm bell, alerting us to the need to pay attention to God's creation, listen to its cry and groan, and make efforts to protect it. Working together to promote environmental awareness contributes to the path towards peace, truth and justice.

United in Prayer and Supplication to God the Creator 

The Ecumenical family in the Middle East and the world gathers during an awaited annual Ecumenical and environmental season, which is the “Season of Creation.” It extends between September 1, the Feast of Creation, and October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology. 

In celebration of this season, you can find the text of the 2025 “Season of Creation” Prayer.

We Pray and Work Together for "Peace with Creation"

As September approaches, the Ecumenical family around the world prepares to celebrate the “Season of Creation” with hearts filled with hope, faith, and determination to work together to protect God's creation. This year's season bears the theme “Peace with Creation” and the symbol of “Garden of Peace”, inspired by Isaiah 32: 14-18

It is worth noting that the Season represents an Ecumenical, Christian, and environmental station that begins each year on September 1, with the Feast of Creation, and ends on October 4, with the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron saint of ecology.

On this occasion, the Season of Creation Committee is organizing an international online Prayer Service, coinciding with Creation Day, to Pray, praise, and thank the Lord, the Creator, for all His abundant gifts and blessings. This service will be held on Monday, September 1, 2025, at 3:00 pm CEST, with the participation of Church Leaders from around the world.

Let us participate together in this celebration, through clicking here, and unite in Prayer on the intention of creation and our common home, hoping to achieve peace, truth and justice in the Middle East and the world.

“Peace with Creation”

With great joy, the Season of Creation 2025 begins internationally under the theme "Peace with Creation." During this season, the Ecumenical family in the Middle East and the world gathers to Pray and work together for the preservation of creation. This season represents an Ecumenical environmental station that extends annually from September 1, the Feast of Creation, to October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology.

The Season of Creation invites us to renew our relationship with the Creator and creation through celebration, repentance, and commitment, through deepening our understanding of the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ, and via strengthening the environmental cause and continuing our efforts to protect our common home, the Oikos of God.

“Momentum”

28-8-2025

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 “Palestine Again and Again… A “Bouquet” of Genocides”.

You can check the issue via the following link: https://mailchi.mp/c1cb30f570d6/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.

Professor Michel Abs

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

For the fourth consecutive year, the Archdiocese of Aleppo, Alexandretta, and their dependencies is holding the “Light from Aleppo” events, a religious, cultural, and social program addressing many aspects of our faith, social, and cultural life. It concludes with a national gathering that brings together all sectors of the city and the Levant in a cultural-artistic festival affirming the unity of the homeland and society.

The story of founding and launching this initiative is long, as told by the Archbishop, His Eminence Metropolitan Aphram Maalouli. He considers that the roots and idea of this initiative came from his predecessor, Metropolitan Paul Yazigi, who has been missing for nearly a decade and a half along with his friend and fellow hierarch, Metropolitan Youhanna Ibrahim. The Middle East Council of Churches designated the day of their abduction as an ecumenical day for the kidnapped and forcibly disappeared, a category that sadly includes all victims of forced disappearance that spread during the wars which ravaged Syria in the past two decades. His Eminence also recalls that the decisive encouragement to proceed with this initiative came from His Beatitude Patriarch John X.

What concerns us in this article is to highlight the positive aspects of continuing this initiative and launching it again this year, without any change in the structure or scope of the program…