MECC
Video - “And the Family Remains” Program
An Episode Entitled “Family at 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 “Family at 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.
Video - "Ecumenical Horizons" Program: Episode Twenty-Two
Produced by the Middle East Council of Churches
“Ecumenical Horizons” is a weekly program that features spiritual, cultural, intellectual, educational, youth and environmental topics.
His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai Presides Over a Divine Liturgy on the Occasion of the Jubilee of the Prisoner
The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs Participates in the Mass
As part of the celebrations of the “Jubilee Year of Hope” 2025, and in response to the invitation of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon to celebrate the Jubilee of the Prisoner, the General Directorate of Prisons in Lebanon held a Divine Liturgy presided over by His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops, on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at the Maronite Patriarchal Edifice in Bkerke, Lebanon.
Under the theme "I was in prison and you came to visit me" (Matthew 25: 36), the Mass was attended by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, Coordinator of Media and Church Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches and Head of the Media Committee of the General Directorate of Prisons, Members of the Directorate, official and social personalities, and the faithful.
During the Mass, His Beatitude Patriarch Al-Rai delivered a Homily in which he spoke about the Sunday of the Revelation to Joseph and its key meanings. He also talked about the "Prisoner's Day" and the mission of the General Directorate of Prisons, in addition to its role and the services it provides.
A Delegation from the MECC Executive Committee
Visits the MECC General Secretariat Offices in Beirut
A Meeting Emphasizing the Importance of Strengthening the Ecumenical Spirit
The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs received, Father Ioannis Nikolaou, and Mr. Michael Spyrou, Members of the MECC Executive Committee, on Friday, December 12, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut
This visit took place within the framework of their participation in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches, which was held on Wednesday, December 10, and Thursday, December 11, 2025, in Beirut.
At the beginning, the Secretary General Professor Abs welcomed the visiting delegation, commending the efforts of the Executive Committee Members in strengthening the mission of the Middle East Council of Churches and its role each from their position, country, and field of work.
The Middle East Council of Churches Issues the Ecumenical Calendar for December 2025
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of December 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.
Video - Final Statement
of the Executive Committee Meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches
Beirut, 10–11 December 2025
Final Statement
of the Executive Committee Meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches
Beirut, 10–11 December 2025
The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches held its regular meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday and Thursday, 10 and 11 December 2025, under the presidency of His Eminence Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church and President of the Council for the Oriental Orthodox family, represented by His Eminence Anba Hermina, General Bishop of the Churches of East Alexandria; and His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Greek Orthodox Church and President of the Council for the Orthodox family, represented by His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios Al-Soury, Metropolitan of Zahle, Baalbek, and their dependencies; and His Eminence Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East and President of the Council representing the Evangelical family; and His Beatitude Patriarch Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos-Patriarch of the House of Cilicia for the Armenian Catholic Church and President of the Council for the Catholic family.
The President of Lebanon General Joseph Aoun to the Middle East Council of Churches:
Your mission is to strengthen the Christian presence in the East so that it may be active, influential, and steadfast in serving the cause of humanity, its present, and future
President Joseph Aoun affirmed that the visit of Holy Father Leo XIV was not only for the Church of Lebanon or for the Lebanese, but for all the Christians of the East who are the sons and daughters of this land in which they are embodied. He called on the delegation of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which he received on the morning of Thursday 11 December 2025, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, to work to ensure that the Christian presence in the East is active, influential and steadfast in serving the cause of humanity, its present and future.