To the righteous saint Maron the hermit on his name’s day

Peace be upon you, you ascetic Cyrus of Antioch, defiant of nature.

Peace be upon you, O trustee of the pledge of allegiance, O you who carried it in the folds of your mind and soul to rugged mountains and remote regions, conveying the good news of El, the incarnate God, to those who were still worshiping the stone.

Peace be upon you, O you who transformed the pagan temple into a church, destined to be holy and apostolic.

Peace be upon you, O you whose shrine has been sought by thousands seeking health for their souls over against the health of their bodies.

At the invitation of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs participated in the online meetings held by the WCC central committee from 9 to 15 February 2022 to prepare for the WCC 11th general assembly. Noting that the assembly will take place in August-September in Karlsruhe, Germany under the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”

The Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME), held on Thursday, January 27, 2022, an online meeting that gathered the deans of the faculties and institutes and their representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. It was organized in the presence of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, and the Director of the MECC theological and Ecumenical Department Father Antoine Al Ahmar.

The Service and Relief Department- Diakonia, at the Middle East Council of Churches, Damascus office, distributed various in-kind kits to students in six schools in Rural Damascus, Aleppo and Homs in order to support the most vulnerable groups.

The students of a school in Bloudan and another in Madaya in Rural Damascus received hygiene and school kits in addition to children clothing kits. In addition, the students of other two schools in Homs and two in Aleppo, received school and hygiene kits.

You can find the full minutes of the MECC 10th General Assembly, held between 29 and 30 November 2011 in Paphos, Cyprus, under the title of “And all who believed were one heart” (Acts 4: 32).

A video prepared by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department, which sheds light on many international and interreligious initiatives aiming at consolidating the human fraternity. As well as, the video highlights the initiative of the consultative sessions as part of the "Interfaith Consultation of Social Cohesion in Iraq", jointly organized by the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches.

Este artículo no trata de la explotación de las personas, sino de la utilización de las personas hasta que se consumen o perecen.

Este artículo se basa en décadas de experiencia en el trabajo con las personas y entre ellas, así como en la enseñanza universitaria y la investigación en sociología y economía.

«Si ves al pobre ocupado, sabe que el rico lo ha explotado», dice nuestro adagio popular.

Este refrán abarca la dimensión socioeconómica y la relación entre las clases sociales, y encarna sólo una parte de la verdad que este artículo quiere destacar.

Iraq an Example of Working Towards Fraternity Through an Ecumenical Initiative

Accepting difference, accepting others, respecting different cultures, religions and beliefs aiming at consolidating the culture of human fraternity. Promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue for the sake of peace and social stability…

All these values are principles adopted by ​​the Middle East Council of Churches, many international human parties and of course the United Nations. But the most important question remains: is there any real implementation of projects enhancing human values?

The new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches presents a news about the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Lebanon soon. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled “Valiance in the service of meanness”.

This article is about people's exploitation of people, but rather about people's use of people until they are consumed or they perish.

This article draws from decades of experience in working with people and among them, as well as from university teaching and research in sociology and economics.

“If you see the poor busy, know that the rich have exploited him,” says our popular adage.

This saying covers the socio-economic dimension and the relationship between social classes, and it embodies only part of the truth that this article wants to highlight.

Gallagher: The Pope is Closely Following Developments in Lebanon

Coming from Rome to Beirut, His Eminence Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States, conveyed His Holiness Pope Francis’ closeness to the Lebanese people from all components, expressing the desire of the Pope to visit the wounded Lebanon. According to sources related to Gallagher, His Holiness will make an apostolic visit to the Land of the Cedars. A visit that will take several days and aims to sorrow a glimmer of hope amidst all the difficult circumstances the Lebanese citizens are passing through.

Desde hace dos años, los ciudadanos libaneses sufren el agravamiento de la crisis económica y el colapso del sistema bancario y de la moneda libanesa. Con el objetivo de hacer frente a esta situación urgente, el Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio sigue apoyando a los grupos más afectados por este desastre económico y de vida para preservar su dignidad y proteger su derecho a una vida digna. Por ello, el Departamento de Servicio y Ayuda – Diakonia, oficina de Beirut, implementó un programa de asistencia en dinero, en asociación y cooperación con la organización humanitaria internacional Norwegian Church Aid – NCA.

MECC distribuye ropa y calzado de invierno a los niños

Con el objetivo de ayudar a las familias a superar uno de los principales problemas del invierno, el Departamento de Servicio y Ayuda – Diakonia, oficina de Damasco, del Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio distribuyó ropa de invierno para los niños de Dara'a Al Balad y Um Al-Mayazen, en la gobernación de Dara'a.