The press and social media share with us articles and appeals to combat and eliminate corruption for the good of society and the well being of people. Writers or authors of tweets and statements deal with the phenomenon of corruption as if it is a fruit that has ripened and it is time to pick it, and it is ready for whoever reaches out to crush it.

They have missed the thorough sociological knowledge and analysis of social phenomena, and they have forgotten that when people become accustomed to something, its removal is not accomplished by a decree or an order issued by governing bodies to executive bodies. If this were the case, we would have considered that society is a machine, and it is enough to change the worn-out part in it, so that it can return to work in an appropriate manner.

Corruption in Lebanon, and in many of our societies in the Arab world, has become a culture deeply rooted in the mentality at the individual level as well as at the collective level. Consequently, it is neither possible nor reasonable to eradicate it from day to day, especially as it is rooted in our minds and souls for centuries.

Together Building Bridges and Restoring Hope

The Middle East Council of Churches held its annual meeting with representatives of its partner organizations and institutions, in addition to a series of activities it implemented with them, between 2 and 5 November 2022. The video presents the point of views and aspirations of some of the MECC partners participating in the meeting. It is prepared and produced by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department.

Our children, who are one of the main pillars of our society, are born into this world, hoping to reap its rewards. Unfortunately, present times are not that comforting and children are being left forsaken and in need.

Luckily, the Service and Relief – Diakonia Department, Beirut’s Office, at the Middle East Council of Churches is still organizing a series of ongoing Psychosocial sessions aiming to promote the well-being and resilience of children. They would be engage through a series of recreational activities that would help them deal with emotional, social, and practical challenges.

MECC Meets with Its International and Regional Partners

The Middle East Council of Churches met with its international and regional partners as part of a series of activities and meetings in Lebanon between 2 and 5 November 2022. What did the meetings include? And what did the attendees discuss? The video presents a brief overview of these meetings, activities, and the most important discussed topics. It is prepared and produced by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department.

“Women are half the society”. Many countries in the world are making efforts aiming to integrate women into all productive and economic sectors. However, the recent security, political, health conditions, and the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, have negatively affected their lives, especially in the Middle East, which is sinking into escalating crises.

In the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for example, the Department of Statistics mentioned that the female unemployment rate has increased to 31.5% in the first quarter of the current year compared to last year. Another country report issued in 2021 shows that women's economic participation has decrease by 3.3%, after it recorded the highest rate of 17.3% in 2017.

A Field Tour Held by MECC and “Kerk in Actie” in the Netherlands Delegation

Eleven years have passed since the outbreak of the severe war in Syria which have took the lives of thousands of Syrians. Not only people have been affected but also stones and buildings. The war has caused massive damage in infrastructure and impacted the economy. As well as, house, religious, educational and medical institutions have been destructed.

If stones in Syria could speak, it would talk about a history and civilization which goes back thousands of years, witnessing for a Christianity which was spread from this country to the world.

Amidst this deepening human crisis, the Church's first challenge was to shine a light in the darkness and sorrow hope in the midst of despair.

A Solemn Funeral at the Cathedral of the Apostle Barnabas in Nicosia

The funeral service of His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus, was held on Saturday 12 November 2022 at the Cathedral of the Apostle Barnabas in Nicosia, Cyprus, after he passed away on Monday 7 November 2022.

During the funeral, Churches’ bells rang in Cyprus and flags outside Churches and on all public buildings flown half-mast. The service was presided over by His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome. The body of the Archbishop of Cyprus was exposed for public pilgrimage in the Cathedral of the Apostle Barnabas, from Thursday 10 till the morning of Saturday 12 November 2022. In addition, a Book of Condolences was opened at the Office of His Beatitude the late Archbishop Chrysostomos II.

En 2001, la UNESCO designó el 10 de noviembre como Día Mundial de la Ciencia para la Paz y el Desarrollo. «Este día pone de relieve el importante papel de la ciencia en la sociedad y la necesidad de que el público en general participe en los debates sobre las nuevas cuestiones científicas. También hace hincapié en la importancia y la relevancia de la ciencia en nuestra vida cotidiana», según se indica en la página web de la organización en cuestión.

Además, este día pretende «vincular más estrechamente la ciencia con la sociedad», así como «garantizar que el público en general esté informado sobre los avances científicos».

Este día también responsabiliza a los científicos de «ampliar la percepción sobre la Tierra en la que vivimos y su fragilidad, lo que motiva la acción para hacer nuestras sociedades más sostenibles».

El Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio ha recibido con gran tristeza la noticia del fallecimiento de Su Beatitud el Arzobispo Chrysostomos II de Nea Justiniana y todo Chipre, a la edad de 81 años, el lunes 7 de noviembre de 2022. Su Beatitud falleció tras su lucha contra la enfermedad, que afrontó con valor y fe cristianos, dando testimonio de la profundidad del amor de Dios, nuestro Señor Jesucristo.

Con la ausencia de Su Beatitud, el Consejo de Iglesias del Oriente Medio echará en falta a un líder eclesiástico con el que el MECC tuvo muchas ocasiones y logros ecuménicos registrados en la historia del movimiento ecuménico en Oriente Medio. Su Beatitud ha acogido generosamente la X Asamblea General del MECC, celebrada entre el 29 y el 30 de noviembre de 2011 en Pafos, y muchas reuniones del Comité Ejecutivo del MECC, como la última convocada con él entre el 21 y el 22 de enero de 2020 en Larnaca.

ACT Alliance Has Many Messages to the Climate Summit, What Are They?

ACT Alliance has released many key messages to COP27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh. It includes: General ACT Climate Justice messaging for COP27, role of ACT as a faith based organization, climate finance, loss and damage, Paris Agreement, climate ambition and mitigation, gender & human rights, and migration.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, MECC mourns passing of His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Nea Justiniana and All Cyprus, who passed away on Monday 7 November 2022. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it is entitled “Modern man between science and ignorance”, which is for the occasion of the World Science Day for Peace and Development celebrated on 10 November.