The Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME)

Reviving the Ecumenical Spirit after 11 years of interruption

The ATIME Student Committee, composed of students from different theological institutes in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq held its first regular meeting on the 1st of February 2020. The meeting was hosted by the Pontifical Faculty of Theology at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) – Kaslik, Lebanon. His Eminence Archbishop Yacoub Babawi, dean of the Mor Aphrem Theological Seminary at Ma'arat Saydnaya, attended the meeting and gave his blessing.

S.G Dr Bechealany: The crisis in the Middle East threatens the “Togetherness” lived by Churches

MECC Secretary General, Dr Souraya Bechealany, participated in the Ecumenical Consultation entitled “Towards a more responsive and inclusive ecumenical vision” organized by the Armenian Church Catholicosate of Cilicia from the 31st of January till the 2nd of February 2020 at the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Dr. Souraya Bechealany took a firm stance against what has been called the “Deal of the Century”.

Le 21 et 22 Janvier 2020, la réunion du Comité Exécutif s’est tenue pour deux jours, à Larnaca – Chypre. Elle a été généreusement accueillie par Sa Béatitude Chrysostomos II, Archevêque Orthodoxe de Nuova Giustiniana et de tout Chypre. Les membres du comité sont venus de Chypre, de l’Égypte, de Syrie, du Liban, de l’Irak, de la Jordanie et de la Palestine.

MECC Diakonia department has helped 1735 families to overcome the extreme cold, which is one of the biggest challenges during the severe winter. Therefore, these returnee families in many villages of Daraa Rural, have received winter clothes kits and coats.

On the margins of the MECC Executive Committee’s regular meeting that was held in Larnaca – Cyprus on 21 - 22 January 2020, H.E Archbishop Nektarios, Metropolitan of Larnaca has invited the participants to dinner on the honor of the four Council’s presidents, His Beatitude Youhanna X - Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and president of the Council for the Greek Orthodox Family

Over the course of two days (January 21 – 22/ 2020), the Executive Committee held its regular meeting in Larnaca – Cyprus. The meeting was generously hosted by His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus. The members of the Executive Committee who participated in the meeting came from Cyprus, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine.

As the Middle East and the Arab World witness a very dangerous period, and the citizens of this region including Christians who are an integral part of the region’s cultural identity, face huge challenges, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins.

MECC team distributed in kind kits to displaced and affected families by the Syrian crisis in a number of villages in Rural Damascus, Rural Hama and Rural Homs.

1008 families, including female-headed households, adults and 21 children with special needs and disabilities, benefited from these Individual and family hygiene kits in addition to blankets and school kits.

MECC Secretary General Dr Souraya Bechealany considered that “the Middle East and the Arab world have clearly entered a dangerous crisis, and that’s why we are all called to pray for peace, reject all forms of violence, and to always rely on constructive dialogue in conflict resolution while fighting for justice and love”. 

Arabic version of THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY and throughout the year 2020,
They showed us unusual kindness (cf. Acts 28: 2)

Le projet KAIROS Proche-Orient : vers un pacte global des Eglises, conçu par le Conseil des églises du Proche-Orient (MECC) en tant qu’instrument de réflexion global autour de la condition des Eglises et communautés chrétiennes dans l’actuel contexte régional. Du 6 au 8 décembre, à l’initiative du Département de Théologie et de questions œcuménique du MECC, 25 experts en théologie et en géopolitique provenant d’Irak, d’Egypte, de Syrie, de Palestine, du Liban, de Chypre et de Jordanie se sont réunis afin de mettre au point les lignes directrices du parcours qui sera présenté dans sa forme complète et ses développements possibles à l’occasion de la prochaine Assemblée générale du MECC prévue pour septembre 2020.

The Theological and Ecumenical Department of the Middle East Council of Churches has launched its process entitled " Kairos Middle East Towards Churches Global Compact " in a first consultation seminar that brought together about 25 experts in theology and geopolitics from Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and Jordan. The seminar took place over a three-day period from 6 till 8 December 2019 in Bethania, Lebanon.

In order to follow up on the Ecumenical Program “Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling”, the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department (TED) organized an evaluation meeting which was held in November 2019 at the Chamoun-el-Safa Seminary of the Chaldean Patriarchate in Ankawa - Erbil. 12 participants described how the training impacted them both on the personal and practical levels and how it transformed their performance, their way of working and their interaction with others.

The MECC Diakonia department in Lebanon organized a health awareness training at its “Our Lady Dispensary” in Sabtiyye, for four consecutive weeks. In collaboration with “ACT Alliance” organization, this program ended at the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese’s hall in Sabityeh.

The MECC Diakonia Department in Syria has rehabilitated six schools in Dara’a Al Balad and Kherbet Ghazaleh areas in Dara’a Governorate. 2625 students will benefit from the project that included the rehabilitation of classrooms,

In order to present the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department (TED) programs, Father Gaby Hachem, the department's director, and Sister Emilie Tannous, the program coordinator and director of the Ecumenical Program “Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling”, have visited Syria from 21 to 23 November 2019. They met many bishops and church officials appointed to work in the dioceses of Damascus, Houran and As Suwayda.

An initial workshop organized by the UNHCR in Jordan

In preparation for the Global Refugee Forum, the UNHCR, in collaboration with its regional office in Amman, has organized a workshop entitled “The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Addressing Displacement in MENA” on 14 November in Jordan.

Once again, terrorism strikes, targeting innocent people, taking pure lives and injuring unarmed citizens in Qamishli. Once again, the Church pays a high price, as Hovsep Ibrahim Bedoyan, the Pastor of the Armenian Catholic community in the city, and his father, were killed while on their way from Al-Hasakeh to Deir el-Zor to inspect the restoration of the Armenian Catholic Church in the city.

Danmission’s Secretary General Kristian Petersen visited Dr. Souraya Bechealany, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches at the Council's headquarters in Beirut. Petersen was accompanied by Line Ramsdal who is the Regional Manager for the Middle East.