Dr. Michel Abs: Reactivating the work of the Dialogue Committee, is a necessity

Headed by its Secretary-General, Dr. Michel Abs, a delegation from the Middle East Council of Churches visited His Eminence Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze Community, Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, to emphasize the relationship that binds the Council to the Unitarian Druze Community sect alongside its historical role in promoting the dialogue between the various religions and references in Lebanon.

The visit, which took place today, Thursday, August 11th, began with a word from the Secretary-General, Dr. Abs, where he spoke about the firm relations that were always present with Sheikh Al-Aql and the personal bond they shared while being part of the Islamic-Christian Dialogue Committee in Lebanon, in addition to attending meetings and other joint initiatives that took place in cooperation between both sides. The Secretary-General also stressed that the interest in Christian issues does not negate the important need to cooperate with our partners in our homeland.

The world celebrates on August 12 of each year the International Youth Day, and the interaction with this occasion varies between one country and another, and between one institution and another.

Young people rarely find the necessary attention for them, as society considers them a young, strong and solid group, capable of overcoming difficulties due to their age, health and aspirations. The social injustice that is clearly visible and which needs direct and, in most cases, urgent support.

As an educator for more than four decades, having lived through various categories of youth, I can simply consider that young people constitute a vulnerable and marginalized group, unintentionally excluded by society by virtue of the cultural and economic dynamics that govern the course of society.

There are many challenges facing the youth of our modern world, varying from one society to another in terms of the nature of these challenges and their weight on the lives of young people, their aspirations and, consequently, their future. However, in all cases, it bears a heavy burden on a social group that is silently marginalized and excluded under the pretext that it is a group that, because of its lack of maturity coupled with high energy, is able to withstand.

And Inviting the Maronite Church to Participate in the “Season of Creation” 2022 Celebrations

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs visited His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, heading a delegation from the MECC General Secretariat that included the Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, the Coordinator of the Ecojustice Unit Reverend Rima Nasrallah, and the Coordinator of the Rehabilitation of Social Capital project Professor Laure Abi Khalil. The visit was on Wednesday 10 August 2022, at the Patriarchal edifice in Al Diman, Lebanon.

During the meeting, Dr. Abs gave His Beatitude Patriarch Al-Rai a brief overview of the activities of the MECC 12th General Assembly, which was held under the theme of “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), between 16 and 20 May 2022, at the Papal Logos Center in Egypt.

On the Occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the Election of His Holiness Aram I as Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia

Dr. Michel Abs: Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia: A leader of Principles and Challenges

On the occasion of the Silver Jubilee and the 25th anniversary of the election and consecration of His Holiness Aram I as Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, the Catholicosate issued a new book entitled “Արժեւորում եւ Վկայութիւններ”, “Appraisal and Testimonies”. Hence, 52 contributors participated in the book from various fields such as religious, ecumenical, academic, political, church administration, community leadership, and highlighted the most prominent bright stations and achievements made by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I during this period.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs was among the participants.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs and the members of the MECC General Secretariat warmly congratulate Father Hadi Mahfouz on his election as General President of the Lebanese Maronite Order, after the convening of the Order’s Electoral Commission on 29 July 2022, which followed the retreat of the Ordinary General Assembly held from 26 to 28 July 2022.

On the occasion, the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs headed a delegation from the General Secretariat, which included the Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, the Director of the Communication and Public Relations Department Mrs. Huguette Salameh, and the Executive Secretary Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, in a congratulatory visit to Father Mahfouz and the new General Presidency complex.

2 years after the Beirut Blast, what has changed at the crime scene? are the Beirutis still clinging to hope? how does Beirut look today? did the pulse return to its heart? In the report, you will find a tour in the neighborhoods of Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael, as well as stories of some Beirutis who survived death, affirming that the will of life is stronger. The video is prepared by the Communications and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches.

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 details about the webinar organized by MECC entitled “Palestinians and Liberation from a Christian Stance”, which is the first in a series of seminars that will be organized by the Council on a monthly basis on various topics and current issues. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it is entitled “Palestine, the first of the seminars, the first results”, and revolved around the webinar and its goals.

In the context of working to rehabilitate social capital, restore the concept of human dignity, and improve relations between the groups that make up the Middle East, leading to a cohesive society, the team in charge of this program in the Middle East Council of Churches launched a series of cultural and intellectual seminars that will last for a year, at a rate of one per month.

The first of the symposia was about Palestine, which was held on Friday, July 29, online, firstly because of the resurgence of the pandemic and secondly for technical reasons related to power supply failure in Lebanon.

The topic of the symposium was about the people of Palestine's quest for freedom from a Christian perspective. The Secretary-General and the program's work team participated in the symposium, in addition to four speakers that addressed the issue from various aspects. The seminar was attended by 100 people, in addition to about 75 who could not enter for technical reasons. The recording of the episode will be available over the next few days on the MECC's social media networks.

MECC Gives Life Back to the Damaged Small Businesses

Beirut is a “stricken” city. This is what the Lebanon Defense Council declared the day after the Beirut Port disaster which occurred on August 4, 2020. Indeed, Beirut was crying out for help on various humanitarian, material and psychological levels… Emergency was declared in the country, and many associations and organizations have directly started work for the rescue of the Beirut wounded people. In fact, they lost their loved ones and everything they have in a moment.

The Middle East Council of Churches have rapidly launched two relief appeals and began field work in the capital’s neighborhoods, in order to heal the wounds of the Beirutis. The mission of the MECC Service and Relief – Diakonia Department, Beirut’s Office, included many types of aids such as distributing food, hygiene, and dignity kits, mattresses, diaper packs, unconditional vouchers, hygiene vouchers, and cash assistance…

In addition, the Diakonia Department launched a program for the rehabilitation of small businesses in Beirut, which witnessed significant damage.

Two Years of Death, Destruction and Pain Everywhere in Beirut...

But

Here the Will of Life Is Stronger

August 4... a date that made history. A day which would have been normal if the clock hadn’t stopped at 6:07 p.m. The moment of the catastrophe, the Beirut Port Blast disaster. An earthquake that turned the lives of the Lebanese upside down.

More than 230 victims, 3000 wounded, thousands of displaced people and affected physically, psychologically and financially...

Two years after Hiroshima Beirut, and the wound of the Lebanese has not healed. Even the truth of what happened on that fateful day is not yet discovered, especially that the Blast investigations are paralyzed. However, justice will reveal one day, and the right time will come, for we are the children of hope and Resurrection.

Two years after the Port disaster, what has changed at the crime scene? Are the Beirutis still clinging to hope? How does Beirut look today? Did the pulse return to its heart?

Video - A Webinar Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches

And A Launching of Monthly Series of Seminars

The Middle East Council of Churches organized a webinar entitled “Palestinians and Liberation from a Christian Stance”, on Friday 29 July 2022, during which experts, specialists and students from many countries of the region participated. In fact, this webinar was the first in a series of seminars that will be organized by MECC on a monthly basis on various topics and current issues, in the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” as part of the Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation Programs.

The webinar begun with a general introduction with the moderator Dr. Laure Abi Khalil. Then, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs presented an overview on the MECC founding and development, highlighting its goals, role and structure, in addition to the most important programs it implements. Dr. Abs also expressed his point of view on the Palestinian issue, describing the violations of the occupation state as a culture of hypocrisy that contradicts the teachings of the Incarnate Christ.

Report: July 2022

The Middle East continues to draw the attention of various world powers as their energy priorities have been altered by the Russo-Ukrainian war. Foreign leaders are hustling towards the Middle East to stabilize the region so that the area can pump even more energy to meet global consumer needs. Yet things remain easier said than done as energy needs remain plenty and it would take more than the US President’s visit to Saudi Arabia to solve the global shortage.