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 details and pictures about the visit of a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) to Lebanon and its tour in Syria. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled “On Political Chemotherapy”, in which he denounced all sieges and sanctions imposed on some countries, stressing on its severe humanitarian repercussions, as whole populations were affected.

As well as, you can find a podcast video including a special interview with His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and MECC President for the Eastern Orthodox Family.

This is not an article on politics; this is an article on what politics can do to humankind and society.

When the doctor decides that there are malignant disease cells in the body and decides to eliminate them, he is certain, and informs the person concerned, that this treatment is a chemical invasion of the human body, targeting disease cells and leaving in his way all forms of expected and unexpected damage to the human body. In short, the therapeutic goal justifies the harmful means, and that collateral damage is inevitable on the path to healing the body.

In politics, it seems that the influential people in this world, who have positioned themselves as judges of humanity, impose on societies what they call sanctions, have adopted this invasive method from within, just as chemotherapy does.

You see them collectively or individually, judge so-and-so that he is a tyrant, and that his people will be in a better condition without him. Hence, they promise this people a better future, and none of that will be achieved. Rather, peoples' situations become worse, and history testifies to that.

Egypt Is a Model for Coexistence!

Following his election as President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Eastern Orthodox Family in the Council’s twelfth General Assembly, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, visited Lebanon, carrying in his heart the concerns of the children and Christians of the region, fully aware of their suffering due to the deepening economic, health and political crises.... that affected them.

His Grace Anba Antonios, faithful shepherd of the Word of God, clinging to his hope of building bridges between Churches and stressing on the necessity of bridging the distances between them, made a tour to the Churches of the East in Beirut, and had an Ecumenical visit to the headquarters of the MECC General Secretariat, as well as to Our Lady dispensary affiliated to MECC, in the Sabtieh region - Beirut. His Grace stressed on the need of overcoming obstacles between all the Church families.

I have grown up in a Catholic family that has experienced the Palestinian refugee crisis following the Arab Israeli War of 1948. My refugee parents, living together with 4 children in one congested room, in contrast to the small independent house they had in Qatamon prior to 1948, insisted on the best private education for my siblings and me in Catholic schools, part of the private educational scene in Palestine prior to 1948 and after.

Because of a good education and upbringing, I was able to pursue university education in the USA, on a scholarship from the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan. This opportunity enabled me to carry on the legacy of my parents, Zachary and Marguerite, and to offer our children, my wife Mary’s and mine, the possibility of a good education here and abroad.

The World Council of Churches Acting General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca visited Syria, alongside the Middle East Council of Churches Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, the General Secretary of ACT Alliance Mr. Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, and Syria’s Programme Executive Mr. Michel Nseir.

This visit aims at strengthening the fraternal relations between the Churches in the East and West and to listen to the concerns of the children and Christians of the region amidst all the difficult living conditions they are passing through. Hence, the delegation will raise the needs and expectations of the Middle Eastern people to the WCC eleventh General Assembly, that will be held between 31 August and 8 September, 2022 in Karlsruhe in Germany.

The delegation started its tour in the city of Damascus, with a visit to His Beatitude John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, in the Patriarchal residence, where the discussions centered around the situation of the Church and its existential role amidst the crisis that the region is passing through, especially in Lebanon and Syria, and the need to support Christians so they can stay in their homeland. As well as, attendees stressed on the necessity of ongoing coordination with local Churches in order to overcome the challenges that might have impacts on the Christian presence in the region.

Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian: The Jubilee Celebrations Are an Opportunity to Glorify God, Be Humble Before the Lord, And Strengthen Hope in Times of Decadence

We Prayed for A New Beginning in the Life of the Church

The Armenian Evangelical Church starts a new bright era in its path, as it celebrates its 175th anniversary, crowned with faith and martyrdom, pursuing its mission with great hope and determination. For the occasion, the Armenian capital Yerevan witnessed many celebrations between 1st and 7 July 2022, during which the children of the Armenian Evangelical Church met together and intended to celebrate, coming from the United States of America, Europe, Australia, Canada and the East.

Participation of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East

Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Evangelical Family, participated in these Jubilee and historical celebrations.

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 and pictures about the tour of His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and MECC President for the Eastern Orthodox Family, in Beirut, and his visit to the headquarters of the MECC General Secretariat. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it was entitled “The MECC President and the MECC Team in an Interactive Panel Discussion” and it was his speech during the visit of His Grace Anba Antonios to the MECC main headquarters.

And A Pledge to Convey the Concerns of the Eastern Churches to the WCC General Assembly in Germany

Weeks ahead the 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches, the WCC Acting General Secretary, Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, visited Beirut, heading a delegation from WCC including the Director of the Communication Department Mrs. Marianne Ejdersten, and Syria’s Programme Executive Mr. Michel Nseir, on Thursday 7 July 2022. The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs accompanied the delegation.

This visit aims at strengthening the fraternal relations between the Churches in the East and West and to listen to the concerns of the children and Christians of the region amidst all the difficult living conditions they are passing through. Hence, the delegation will raise the needs and expectations of the Middle Eastern people to the WCC 11th General Assembly, that will be held between 31 August and 8 September, 2022 in Karlsruhe in Germany.