Latest updates and humanitarian response

Report #2

Reporting Period: From 27 August to 2 September, 2020

Within the framework of the MECC appeal to provide relief for the devastated Beirut and its afflicted people, because of the 4 August blast, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria hastened to respond to the appeal by offering a shipment of aid included 26 tons of food products, medicines and medical supplies. Following up the process of distributing it to beneficiaries, the MECC Diakonia Department’s team and a group of youth volunteers sorted the offered products and medical supplies, divided and packed them.

Télé Lumière - Noursat dedicated a weekly segment for the Middle East Council of Churches every Thursday in "AL Nour Maana" show, to discuss the latest updates regarding the MECC appeal as well its relief and development projects in Beirut.

MECC organized a crochet training for 19 women aged between 18 to 45 from Rural Damascus. The trainees learned the basic principles of crocheting and the way to use one needle to crochet squares and gather them to form different shapes, such as: table covers, bed covers, blankets, shawls and other cloths or crafts that can be knitted with crochet.

Syria and Lebanon

Humanitarian Update

Reporting period: from 24 to 31 August 2020

In the video, you can find footages and photos from the 11th General Assembly, that took place in Amman, Jordan between the 6th and 8th September 2016, in addition to the speeches of the presidents and participants.

Each General Assembly issues a final statement that includes suggestions, recommendations and decisions taken during the meeting. In this text, you can find the final statement of the 11th General Assembly which took place in Amman, Jordan between the 6th and 8th September 2016, under the theme of: "Praise the Lord for His mercy is forever good”.

The Middle East Council of Churches has held 11 General Assemblies till now: 8 in Cyprus, 2 in Lebanon, and one in Jordan. In this text, you can find main information about these assemblies such as their themes, dates, locations, and the General Secretaries who were elected at each one of them.

MECC’s first General Assembly, which took place in 1974, was an inaugural meeting during which the council was founded. In this text, you can find the decisions that were taken during the meeting and important excerpts from the statements of MECC presidents at that time.

The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the Middle East Council of Churches. The council holds a general assembly in accordance to its bylaws which legally organize the assembly’s meetings, its composition, its sub-committees and the conduct of work. In this text, a detailed clarification of these laws is provided.

Télé Lumière - Noursat dedicated a weekly segment for the Middle East Council of Churches every Thursday in "AL Nour Maana" show, to discuss the latest updates regarding the MECC appeal as well its relief and development projects in Beirut.

On Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 August, the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department (TED) held two virtual meetings with around 17 young people from various churches in Lebanon. These two gatherings were a follow-up to the youth consultation seminar held by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) on the 11th of July 2020, within the “Kairos Middle East: Towards Churches Global Compact” process.

3 weeks have passed since the Beirut port explosion, and Lebanese people are still facing the repercussions of this disaster, which left great material and moral damage. For 22 days, the Lebanese were constantly struggling and exerting tireless efforts to rebuild their capital Beirut, which has been undergoing several crises for years. The process of removing shattered glass, wood and debris has been ongoing in public and private properties as well as in churches and their affiliated institutions. However, the losses and damages are still substantial, especially in churches, hospitals and schools.

Latest updates and humanitarian response

Reporting Period: From 5 to 26 August 2020

SG Dr Bechealany: “We have issued an appeal to help the devastated city of Beirut and its distressed people”

In the wake of the Beirut Port explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020 and resulted in massive destruction and damage to public and private properties, as well as to churches and their institutions, Dr. Souraya Bechealany, Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), visited the council's member churches in Beirut.

Syria and Lebanon

Humanitarian Update

Reporting period: from 17 to 24 August 2020

El apoyo a la devastada ciudad de Beirut y a su angustiada gente

¡Cristo, en verdad, ha resucitado! Durante dos mil años, los cristianos de Oriente Medio han estado proclamando continuamente la Resurrección de Cristo para expresar al mismo tiempo su fe y su enfrentamiento con la muerte, la mayor amenaza para la humanidad y la creación. Debido a su vivacidad religiosa, cultural y comercial y a su presencia en el corazón del mundo antiguo, su región no fue realmente testigo de la verdadera paz, excepto en períodos intermitentes. De hecho, era en la mayoría de los casos, una encrucijada, un lugar de encuentro y punto de partida por un lado, y una arena para conflictos y confrontaciones por el otro. Debido a los furiosos conflictos y guerras, durante más de medio siglo, el Oriente Medio ha sufrido tremendamente la violencia, el extremismo y la matanza, desarraigando a sus habitantes de sus tierras y desplazándolos, alterando su destino y socavando la dignidad humana.

His Holiness Pope Tawadros II sends Humanitarian aid, via Egyptian military aircrafts

In a gesture of love and solidarity and as an expression of brotherhood between the Egyptian and Lebanese citizens, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria answered the MECC Beirut appeal in response to the Port Explosion, which occurred on the 4th of August, by relieving the devastated Beirut and its afflicted people. This first contribution was a shipment of food aid and medicines transferred to Beirut airport on board two military aircrafts that arrived through a military airlift by the order of Egyptian President Mohamed Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to send aid from Egypt to Beirut.

Support to the devastated city of Beirut and to its distressed people

Christ is risen indeed He is risen! For two thousand years, Christians in the Middle East have been continuously proclaiming Christ’s Resurrection to express at the same time their faith and their confrontation with death, the greatest threat to humanity and creation. Due to its religious, cultural and commercial vivacity and its presence in the heart of the ancient world, their region did not really witness true peace except for intermittent periods. In fact, it was in most cases, a crossroad, a meeting place and starting point on the one hand, and an arena for conflicts and confrontations on the other. Due to raging conflicts and wars, for more than half a century, the Middle East has tremendously suffered violence, extremism and killing, uprooting its inhabitants from their lands and displacing them, tampering with their fate, and undermining human dignity.

Après l’explosion du Port de Beyrouth qui a décimé cette capitale, le Conseil des Églises du Moyen-Orient a lancé un appel en réponse à cette catastrophe, et a été partagé sur le site web “Vatican News”.