Report: 16 to 31 January 2021

Among the concepts related to Social Capital, the notion of Building Bridges comes as a fundamental stage in building social capital, or what they call in English, Bridging.

As dire socioeconomic conditions grip the country, victims of the Beirut blast are still being affected the most. The Norwegian Refugee Council warned in a statement on its website, of a new wave of homeless people, 6 months after the Beirut explosion.

Syria and Lebanon

Humanitarian Update

Reporting period: from 25 January to 1 February 2021

Cuando se trata de encontrar la verdad, Líbano no es el único país que sufre la burocracia. Dos altos parlamentarios británicos pidieron que se investigara una empresa registrada en el Reino Unido probablemente relacionada con la explosión de Beirut. Pidieron a las autoridades del Reino Unido que la investiguen, dado que parece que se ha presentado información inexacta.

En el octavo día de oraciones, la “Semana de Oración por la Unidad de los Cristianos” finalizó tras las rezos diarias que sembraron la esperanza y el deseo de lograr esta unidad por la que siempre se ha esforzado el Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio, desde su creación en 1974.

MECC implemented a Grants Program, which included an advanced business course for 22 beneficiaries from Damascus and its rural areas who passed the basic business course.

Non-governmental organizations, NGOs, or so-called civil society institutions, and at certain times called private voluntary groups or PVOs, are non-profit organizations that are established according to a special law that defines their work and regulations.

“I ask you to walk with humility, meekness, and a lot of patience, bearing one another in love”

“For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.” (Galatians 1:13). With these words said publicly, the Apostle Paul confessed to his sin and announced his commitment to Judaism in his letter to Galatians.

HE Bishop Joseph Mouawad: Love makes us accept different people as a gift from God… and unity must be founded on truth and love!

In the course of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity", the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Relations in the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops organized, in partnership with the Middle East Council of Churches, a virtual meeting and an Ecumenical prayer in the evening of Sunday January 24, 2021.

When comes to finding the truth, Lebanon is not the only country to suffer from red tape. Two senior British parliamentarians called for an investigation into a British-registered company probably related to the Beirut blast. They called upon UK authorities to investigate it, given inaccurate information appears to have been filed.

The MECC Secretary General: unity is not a lack of diversity, but rather an organization of it, and what is important is for unity to remain in diversity

… The decision is yours!

At the day eight of prayers, the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” ended after daily prayers that sowed hope and desire to achieve this unity at which the Middle East Council of Churches had always strived, since its establishment in 1974. This year was exceptional since public celebrations were postponed due to the outbreak of the pandemic worldwide.

Syria and Lebanon

Humanitarian Update

Reporting period: from 18 to 25 January 2021

“Los intereses de EE.UU. pueden ser perseguidos sin castigar colectivamente al pueblo sirio”

Una vez más, en defensa de los derechos humanos y de la dignidad humana, el Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio renovó su llamamiento para que se levanten las sanciones económicas impuestas al pueblo sirio, que violan su derecho a vivir con dignidad y anticipan un desastre humanitario sin precedentes en la región.

“USA Interests Can Be Pursued Without Collectively Punishing the Syrian People”

Once again, in defence of human rights and human dignity, the Middle East Council of Churches renewed its call for the lift of the economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, violating their right to live in dignity and anticipating an unprecedented humanitarian disaster in the region.

To pray together on Sunday January 24, 2021

On the occasion of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity", the Middle East Council of Churches, and in cooperation with the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Relations in the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops, is inviting you to participate in a virtual meeting and an Ecumenical prayer, on Sunday January 24, 2021 at 6 PM GMT.

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: The Council Plants Seeds in Unfertile Grounds between Churches so it Blooms

We Need to Cooperate with the New Generations

The World Student Christian Federation organized an online Ecumenical meeting hosting the Middle East Council of Churches Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. This meeting was held within the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity framework under the title of “The Ecumenical Interaction of Churches”.

“The COVID-19 pandemic posed enormous challenges in 2020. Well-coordinated communication support to the fellowship, has been – and still is – pivotal in addressing this situation”, says WCC Communication Director, Marianne Ejdersten and added “Communications from the WCC must be inclusive and have participation and hope at their core. Our task is to ignite hope for a better world where human dignity prevails.”

For the first time, a Bible app is making daily devotions during the 2021 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity available in an Arabic translation provided by the Middle East Council of Churches.

A Prayer Octave celebrated between the Chair of St. Peter and the Conversion of St. Paul!

This week, between January 18 and 25, Christians around the world participate in a historical stance. They unite together through common prayer deepening the spiritual communion between them and representing the spirit of unity in the diversity of all Churches.