As part of the Middle East Council of Churches 12th General Assembly’ s activities, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs was the guest of Father Elias Karam in “I Came to Serve” program broadcasted on Télé Lumière and Noursat, Sunday 19 June 2022. During the episode, Dr. Abs emphasized the Christian and humanitarian issues and themes tackled during the General Assembly, in light of its slogan “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid" (Matthew 14: 27). This is in addition to highlighting the main points of the final statement issued by this Ecumenical event and the MECC future projects.

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 the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which is entitled “Elijah the Zealous and Adversity”, on the occasion of the Feast of Saint Elijah. Dr. Abs tackled in his message the lesson that we must draw from the biography of Elijah the Zealous, amidst the crises that the contemporary person is living today.

As well as, the issue presents a report about the tragic situations the elderlies are witnessing especially in Lebanon, and the MECC work in supporting them. The report is entitled “Elderlies in Lebanon Are Waiting for Any Protection to Ease Their Pain, Grandma Osana and Mr. Said: Suffering with Great Pain!”.

It was just like yesterday, although nearly two millennia have passed between the time of Elijah the zealous and our lives today.

Mar Elias the living Saint, as it is commonly referred to in our country, represents a unique model of saints-name and occupies a special place in the popular memory, as there is no neighborhood in our region without a monastery, a church, or a shrine named after him.

His biography is rich and varied, filled with events. We find it in theology books as well as in religious education books in schools, and we hear it in folk tales as well.

His feast day is special, it comes first in the summer holidays and is celebrated by the people, regardless of their religions, in a distinctive way, and is accompanied by popular traditions that vary according to the region or the celebrants.

Mar Elias came at a time of intense events, abundant in sins, full of misfortunes. However he did not resort to silence or complacency, but rather drew up the sword of truth and began chasing falsehood.

Grandma Osana and Mr. Said: Suffering with Great Pain!

Alone, abandoned... Many elderlies are drowning in despair and trying to stay alive... These expressions seem to be harsh amidst the absence of human dignity and decent life. But in fact, words cannot be harsher than the bitter situation witnessed by our grandmothers and grandfathers, elderlies searching for a ray of light in the midst of the dark days they were forced to live. Why are they passing through this alienation? Answers to this legitimate question lie in many reasons reflected in the difficult living conditions they are suffering from in the absence of laws protecting them, especially in our region, in the wounded Middle East.

Last June, His Holiness Pope Francis said "Old age moves ahead toward its destination, towards God’s heaven", describing the eternal path in which elderlies strengthen their faith and live with comfort and tranquility. A path free of life's thorns and difficulties towards the joy of meeting God. However, many elderlies are today deprived from living this peaceful phase of their lives, due to life dangers that everyone is aware of, threatening them and depriving them from their rights.

The Pope prays during this month of July for the elderly, so their “experience and wisdom may help young people to look towards the future with hope and responsibility”. But how can they spread hope and a positive spirit when they lost hope in an East that also lost its youth?

The Lebanese Health Sector Is Suffering

The Middle East Council of Churches continued, during the month of July, to vaccinate children and distribute medication which prices have skyrocketed in Lebanon. Thus, the Service and Relief – Diakonia Department, Beirut’s Office, is keen to accompany the neediest on the health side, at Our Lady Dispensary, affiliated to MECC and located in Sabtieh region. Beneficiaries visited the Dispensary and were tended to by dedicated doctors as per regular basis. In some cases, in which the beneficiaries are old and cannot leave the house, medications were distributed directly to their homes.

In fact, the health work of the Middle East Council of Churches is implemented at a time when the health sector in Lebanon is paralyzed due to the tighten financial conditions and the economic and health crises that have cast a shadow over all the state institutions. Therefore, the citizens were negatively affected and are not able to have access to health services.

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8)

It is with deep sadness and sorrow, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches bids farewell to its righteous daughter, our colleague Abir Chalawit, Program Officer of the Vocational Training Program at the MECC Syria’s Office, who passed away to the Heavenly Father, after accomplishing her humanitarian mission with great sincerity and dedication.

Mrs. Abir Chalawit was known for her zeal for the love of God and her continuous service. She was born in 1980 and is a mother of two young boys, Jean and Marc. She obtained a bachelor degree in Business Administration, and joined the Middle East Council of Churches in 2016. She previously worked for more than 10 years in the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.

Este no es un artículo sobre política; es un artículo sobre lo que la política puede hacer a la humanidad y a la sociedad.

Cuando el médico decide que hay células enfermas malignas en el cuerpo y decide eliminarlas, tiene la certeza, e informa a la persona afectada, de que este tratamiento es una invasión química del cuerpo humano, dirigida a las células enfermas y que deja en su camino todas las formas de daños esperados e inesperados en el cuerpo humano. En resumen, el objetivo terapéutico justifica los medios perjudiciales, y que los daños colaterales son inevitables en el camino hacia la curación del cuerpo.

En política, parece que las personas influyentes de este mundo, que se han posicionado como jueces de la humanidad, imponen a las sociedades lo que llaman sanciones, han adoptado este método invasivo desde dentro, al igual que la quimioterapia.

Los ven colectivamente o individualmente, juzgar a fulano de tal que es un tirano, y que su pueblo estará en mejores condiciones sin él. Por lo tanto, prometen a este pueblo un futuro mejor, y nada de eso se logrará. Más bien, la situación de los pueblos empeora, y la historia lo atestigua.

Señor Presidente,

Como anciano palestino de fe católica, mis ánimos se ven mermados.

He crecido en una familia católica que ha vivido la crisis de los refugiados palestinos tras la guerra árabe-israelí de 1948. Mis padres refugiados, que vivían con 4 hijos en una habitación congestionada, en contraste con la pequeña casa independiente que tenían en Qatamon antes de 1948, insistieron en la mejor educación privada para mis hermanos y para mí en las escuelas católicas, que formaban parte del panorama educativo privado en Palestina antes de 1948 y después.

Gracias a una buena educación y crianza, pude cursar estudios universitarios en EE.UU., con una beca de la Embajada de EE.UU. en Ammán, Jordania. Esta oportunidad me permitió continuar el legado de mis padres, Zachary y Marguerite, y ofrecer a nuestros hijos, los de mi esposa Mary y los míos, la posibilidad de una buena educación aquí y en el extranjero.

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.