MECC
Word of the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, During the Meeting of the MECC Executive Committee with the President of Lebanon General Joseph Aoun
Please click here to read word delivered by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, during the meeting of the MECC Executive Committee with the President of Lebanon General Joseph Aoun, on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda.
The MECC Executive Committee Meeting on Its Second Day: Presentation of the Strategic Framework and Future Vision
During the Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), members of the Committee emphasized the importance of holding onto hope despite all the challenges that the region is facing, and the necessity of continuing the work to strengthen the Ecumenical spirit and serve every person with dignity.
The second part of the second day of the meeting was presided over by Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family.
During the sessions, the strategic framework for the work of the Middle East Council of Churches and its future vision were presented.
A New Hope on the Second Day of the MECC Executive Committee Meeting in Beirut
In a spirit full of Ecumenism and hope, the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continued its meeting being held on Wednesday, December 10, and Thursday, December 11, 2025, in Beirut.
The first session began with a Prayer and Biblical Reflection delivered by His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios Al Soury, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Zahle, Baalbek and their Dependencies, representing His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox Family.
Then, the attendees discussed many administrative, financial and technical matters related to the workflow and the development of its mechanisms, emphasizing the necessity of cooperation and coordination to enhance the sustainability of the Middle East Council of Churches in order to solidify its Ecumenical and humanitarian mission through all fields and sectors in the region.
Two New Publications Produced By MECC
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) launched two new publications at its Executive Committee meeting, being held on Tuesday, December 10, and Wednesday, December 11, 2025, in Beirut.
The first is “Towards a Common Date for Easter” – the 1997 Aleppo Statement, in Arabic.
The second is “The Middle East Council of Churches: Complete Record of 23 Symposiums, Round Tables, and Webinars of the Dialogue, Social Cohesion, and Human Dignity Rehabilitation Program”
Both publications will be released soon.
The MECC Executive Committee Continues Its Meeting Discussing Administrative Affairs
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) launched two new publications at its Executive Committee meeting, being held on Wednesday, December 10, and Thursday, December 11, 2025, in Beirut.
The first is “Towards a Common Date for Easter” – the 1997 Aleppo Statement, in Arabic.
The second is “The Middle East Council of Churches: Complete Record of 23 Symposiums, Round Tables, and Webinars of the Dialogue, Social Cohesion, and Human Dignity Rehabilitation Program”
Both publications will be released soon.
The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs Delivers a Word at the Opening of the MECC Executive Committee Meeting in Beirut
The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs delivered a word at the opening of the MECC Executive Committee meeting in Beirut, and said:
In light of the difficult circumstances, “the Church is striving to remain cohesive, both in its institutions and its congregations...
We have affirmed in our work at the Council, and in our Fiftieth Year, that our approach will be long-term, both strategically and in the current context...
Sustainability on all levels is one of our fundamental challenges... We must also mention the high credibility of the Council...
The visit of His Holiness the Pope to Lebanon marked a turning point in the historical journey of these countries, Lebanon, and the Middle East.
In this Advent Season, may God bless our service...".
The MECC Executive Committee Meeting Begins in Beirut
The Executive Committee meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) being held on Wednesday, December 10, and Thursday, December 11, 2025, in Beirut, started with a Biblical Reflection delivered by His Grace Bishop Hermina, the General Bishop of the Churches of the Eastern Sector of Alexandria.
An Ecumenical journey of Praying and working together for reconciliation and justice!
The MECC Executive Committee Begins Its Meeting with a Minute of Silence for the Souls of the Victims of Wars, Conflicts, and Disasters
The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) began its meeting with a minute of silence for the souls of the victims of wars, conflicts, and disasters in the Middle East and the world. Prayers were raised for peace, justice, and the healing of the wounded people.
10-11 December 2025, Beirut.
Video - From the children of Bethlehem to the children of Gaza… The crime is the same and the victim is the same
A Christmas Reflection by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs
Environmental Day at Azounieh – Lebanon, with the Middle East Council of Churches and the Youth Committee of the Armenian Sanatorium Azounieh
Praying and Working Together for the Creation!
On the Feast of Saint Nicholas in the Armenian, Greek, and Latin calendars, the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in coordination with the Youth Committee of the Armenian Sanatorium – Azounieh, organized a special Environmental Day entitled “Can Santa Plant a Tree?!”, on Saturday, December 6, 2025, in Azounieh.
The event brought together youth from the Armenian Evangelical Churches of Nor Marash and Anjar, Deacons from the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the young people of St. George Melkite Catholic Parish in Zahle.
Adding to the joy of the gathering, Santa Claus—Saint Nicholas—joined the celebration. As the day coincided with his Feast, Santa himself planted numerous plants and trees in the Garden of the Armenian Sanatorium at Azounieh.
The day began with an introduction to the history and mission of the Azounieh Sanatorium, followed by a presentation by Fr. Movses-Garen Yosolkanian, Coordinator of the Season of Creation activities at MECC, on the Season of Creation and the connection between Santa Claus, the natural world, and his commitment to seafarers and gardeners. In keeping with local tradition, participants opened the activity by singing the Lebanese National Anthem, the customary prelude to tree-planting ceremonies.
Video - “And the Family Remains” Program
An Episode Entitled “Displacement and Christmas”
Produced by "The Platform of the Word" at the Middle East Council of Churches
As part of its program network, “The Platform of the Word” at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) presents an episode within the program “And the Family Remains”, under the title “Displacement and Christmas”.
The program raises issues related to the family, motherhood and childhood, in addition to the Church’s view and response to the challenges, especially in light of the difficult living conditions that the region is passing through.
Télé Lumière Noursat Celebrates the First Anniversary of its North Lebanon Office Under the Patronage of Archbishop Youssef Soueif
The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs: "Télé Lumière has succeeded in bringing together people of different affiliations, in caring for their issues, covering their activities, and supporting their causes from a purely faith-driven, non-utilitarian standpoint"
Under the patronage and in the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif, Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli, an official ceremony was held on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at the Maronite Archdiocese of Tripoli, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the opening of Télé Lumière_Noursat's office in North Lebanon.
The celebration was attended by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, the Coordinator of Media and Church Relations at MECC and the Director of Télé Lumière's North Lebanon office the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Coordinator of the Dialogue, Social Cohesion, and Human Dignity Program at MECC Professor Laure Abi Khalil, as well as Spiritual and Religious Leaders and official and social figures.
On this occasion, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs delivered a speech entitled "The Word, Media, and Civilizational Diversity," in which he said that media "can carry the good word and spread it among people. It also disseminates forms of social behavior and shapes the path of society" …
Video - Speech of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs
At the Celebration of the First Anniversary of the Launch of Téleé Lumière-Noursat Office in North Lebanon, from the Maronite Archdiocese of Tripoli
The Middle East Council of Churches Implements a New Session of the "Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling" Program in Iraq
Spiritual and Psychological Support Sessions for Church Ministers
As part of supporting the most affected people by the difficult social and security situations in the region, the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues the implementation of its two-year program on “Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling” for Church Ministers
Therefore, a new session of the program for Church Ministers in Iraq was organized, hosted by the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul in Baghdida (Qaraqosh), with the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Mar Benedictus Younan Hano, Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Mosul and Its Dependencies. It was held from 23 to 28 November 2025, in the Mosul region, in the Nineveh Plain.
Twenty-two participants—men and women, including laypeople, priests, pastoral workers, individuals displaced from the Nineveh Plain, and family members of the victims of the tragic fire that claimed 243 lives and left many others injured—took part in the session.