From the gateway to the eastern Mediterranean and its pearl, Beirut, this ecumenical delegation came to the Middle East in order to visit spiritual leaders who historically constituted the pillars of ecumenical work.

The leading delegation came to visit Lebanon and the Levant at the kind invitation of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, President of the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches. Its visits will include Beirut, Damascus, Aleppo and their suburbs, either to meet our regional ecumenical leaders as well as to visit projects that constitute a model of ecumenical and human solidarity at the global level.

El presente discurso fue pronunciado como intervención introductoria durante la visita del miembro del Presidium del Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio en representación de la Familia Ortodoxa Oriental durante su encuentro con el Equipo central del MECC. El objetivo de la reunión era rezar juntos e intercambiar ideas sobre asuntos ecuménicos.

El Consejo es un lugar de encuentro, armonía y construcción de puentes lejos de todos los obstáculos

En su primera visita pastoral al Líbano tras su elección como Presidente del MECC para la Familia Ortodoxa Oriental en la XII Asamblea General del MECC, Su Gracia Anba Antonios, Metropolitano de Jerusalén y del Cercano Oriente para la Iglesia Ortodoxa Copta, realizó una gira ecuménica en Beirut, acompañado por el Secretario General del MECC, Dr. Michel Abs, el lunes 4 de julio de 2022. En primer lugar, Su Gracia recibió al Dr. Abs en la Iglesia Ortodoxa Copta de Santa María y San Marcos en la región de Sin El Fil, en presencia del Padre Andraos Al Anthouny, Pastor de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Copta en el Líbano, y del Diácono Sami Tadros.

The present speech was delivered as an introductory intervention during the visit of the member of the Presidium of the Middle East Council of Churches representing the Oriental Orthodox Family during his meeting with the central MECC Team. The aim of the meeting was for praying together and exchanging ideas on ecumenical affairs.

We seek to institutionalize the occasional proceeding, for the team to meet with the leaders of the MECC and the leaders of the churches in open sessions during which matters are raised frankly and lovingly with the aim of establishing an institutional and social cohesion between the leaders of the Council and the working teams in the field.

Report: June 2022

Nearly every nation in the region is struggling to cope with the aftermath of the war in Eastern Europe. Some succeeded in implementing policies that would adequately address ramifications such as grain and fuel shortages. Others still struggle with past hurdles and are finding it difficult to maneuver in the difficult situation, especially when they are still mired with corruption. Nevertheless, the world is looking towards the Middle East to solve the energy crisis and this might provide the required impetus for a new beginning.

The Council Is a Place for Gathering, Harmony and Building Bridges Away from All the Obstacles

On his first pastoral visit to Lebanon following his election as MECC President for the Eastern Orthodox Family at the MECC 12th General Assembly, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, made an Ecumenical tour in Beirut, accompanied by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, today, Monday 4 July 2022. Firstly, His Grace welcomed Dr. Abs at the St. Mary & St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church in Sin El Fil region, in the presence of Father Andraos Al Anthouny, Pastor of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Lebanon, and Deacon Sami Tadros.

MECC Accompanies a Group of Priests and Lay People Spiritually and Psychologically

After the forced hiatus due to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, the Theological and Ecumenical Department at the Middle East Council of Churches resumed the “Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling” program, and implemented a new training in Amman entitled “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6: 31). This training was dedicated to a group of 16 participants, which included Priests from different Churches, and lay people working in different pastoral sectors or social services. They came from Amman and other regions of the Kingdom, as well as from the West Bank in Palestine, the Holy Land and the Gaza Strip. The sessions took place between 19 and 23 June 2022, at the Rosary Sisters Visitation Home in Amman, and were organized by the program coordinator Sister Emilie Tannous.

The following report video, which was broadcasted on Sama TV, sheds light on the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) campaign launched by the Diakonia and Social Service Department, at the Middle East Council of Churches, Syria’s Office, within the Cash for Work Program, aiming at supporting the local community and preserving the beauty and cleanliness of the city. The campaign included roads sweeping, removal and transportation of waste from the city entrances and squares, as well as removing the dry grass from the roads.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches you can find a news about the first meeting of the MECC new Executive Committee that thanked His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, for hosting the activities of the MECC 12th General Assembly, and discussed the recommendations issued by this General Assembly, and ways to develop the work mechanisms. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled “Reflections on the Feast of the See of Antioch”.

It is the feast of the two apostles, Peter and Paul, the founders of the See of Antioch.

Today, after more than two millennia, we pause and reflect on the path of the Christian faith and the Church that embodies it, and which the Lord has built on the Rock.

This "small cluster" of fishermen, full of faith in their belief, was able to capture the world and establish it within the body of her love.

They were very few, the leaven of faith and righteousness, however they were able to possess the human race and bring it to the Faith.

Neither did horrors frighten the Church, nor did adversities deter her, because she carries in the depths of her bosom the faith of the Master.

From Antioch the fishermen set out to the world, to the unknown, laying their very lives on their hands, unaware of difficulties they encountered. Their final destination was one, clearly defined: Humankind!

The Communication and Public Relations Department at the Middle East Council of Churches have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of July 2022. 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. Noting that the remaining months of the year will be published consecutively.