MECC Joins His Holiness in His Call to Lift the Blockade and Provide the Necessary Support

Following the blockade imposed on the “Lachin Corridor”, the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, issued an appeal to the world in which he rang the alarm bell amidst the risk threatening the Armenians in Artsakh. From its end, the Middle East Council of Churches joins the voice of truth, the voice of His Holiness, and calls for lifting the siege, so that the world does not witness a new humanitarian catastrophe, but rather another massacre against the Armenian people. MECC also calls the decision-makers to help the Armenian people and support them in their ordeal.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, the MECC releases the Arabic version of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” Booklet 2023 entitled “Do good; seek justice” (Isaiah 1:17). As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Abs, it is entitled “A prayer for unity in a time of rupture and loss”, and it is the introduction of the Arabic Version of the Book of Prayers for Christian Unity.

The issue also includes a video message from the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs within the MECC Executive Committee meeting, which was held on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 November 2022, at the Monastery of Notre-Dame du Puits in Bkennaya, Lebanon. This is in addition to a video presenting an overview of the youth consultations sessions held as part of the Executive Committee meeting and highlighting their issues and opinions through some interviews. The videos are produced by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department.

Introduction of the Arabic Version of the Book of Prayers for Christian Unity

Once again, the week of prayer for unity is approaching, and the churches of the Middle East are preparing to participate in it, immediately after the occasion of the birth of the Incarnate and the Baptism of water.

This week has become an ecumenical church tradition and has become part of the common culture of churches that have decided to live together in a partnership of faith despite the diversity of affiliations.

“Do good; seek justice” (Isaiah 1:17)

Let us engage in the struggle for justice in our society

We all belong to Christ

The Middle East Council of Churches releases the Arabic version of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” booklet 2023, under the title “Do good; seek justice” (Isaiah 1:17). The title has been chosen at a time when the world and the Middle East are suffering from various crises, conflicts, injustice and divisions in various fields. Therefore, the booklet is centered around the biblical text from Isaiah 1:12-18, in which “Isaiah challenged God’s people in his day to learn to do good together; to seek justice together, to rescue the oppressed together, to defend the orphan and plead for the widow together. The prophet’s challenge applies equally to us today.”

A dialogue Forum in Erbil - Iraq

Towards a Brighter Future!

Huguette Salameh - Erbil, Iraq

Between coexistence, tolerance, managing diversity, rights, citizenship, and freedom of expression... and between religious and social values, dialogue, purification of memory, and historical reconciliation, between all these terms and the harsh circumstances that Iraq is passing through, there are winds of change and terms which are taking the front place in speeches and discourses today. The aim is to form a secular national identity and build a bright future for Iraqis, all Iraqis in Iraq!

Many conciliatory and peaceful terms have been topics of discussion since many years, especially since 2018, under the auspices of the World Council of Churches and in cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches. In fact, a dialogue Forum was launched in Beirut through two sessions in 2019 and 2021 and entitled "Managing Diversity and Respecting Individual and Collective Rights in the State of Citizenship: The Constitution, school curriculum and media”.

Youth representing various Churches and youth movements in the Middle East, came from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon to the Monastery of Notre-Dame du Puits in Bkennaya, Lebanon, to participate in the Executive Committee meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches, which was held on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 November 2022. They gathered together and raised their concerns, challenges, and suggestions to the Heads and Leaders of the Churches participating in the meeting. What were their aspirations and expectations?

The video presents an overview of the youth consultations sessions and highlights their issues and opinions through some interviews. It is produced by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department.

Report: November 2022

With talking-heads hinting of a looming global recession in the next year, the Middle East is struggling to cope with the external changes. In addition to all the challenges that each of the countries has, they are being forced to come up with solutions that can guarantee a future. Faced with climate change, overpopulation, unemployment and other related hurdles, ME nations are being tested to their very limit. 

Within the Executive Committee meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches, which was held on Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 November 2022, at the Monastery of Notre-Dame du Puits in Bkennaya, Lebanon, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs delivered a message. He highlighted the meeting’s activities and mentioned the most important issues that were discussed, as well as his aspirations and expectations.

We wish you a blessed Advent season. It is a special time, especially in the Holy Land, as it leaves politics and violence behind for a while and makes way for the celebration of the arrival of our Saviour Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. As Christians in the Holy Land, we hold fast to our sacred traditions every year. For us as Palestinian communities, preserving the sacred significance of the many sites and traditions in the region takes precedence over conflicts.

Jerusalem is not only significant for Palestinian Christians and Christians around the world this Christmas season, but also the international home of people of many religious confessions. In the Christian Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City, a Christmas tree is traditionally lit every year in the first week of Advent, marking the beginning of the Christmas season here.

With the International Human Rights Day on 10 December, the United Nations ends its international annual campaign “UNITE to End Violence Against Women”, which began with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, throughout 16 days of activism.

From its end, the Middle East Council of Churches renews its call for the necessity of serious work to end violence against women and to protect and preserve their dignity. Hence, MECC participated with ACT Alliance in the United Nations campaign through many photos especially taken by the ACT member organizations, which we will republish in the following.

Video - The 5th Monthly Webinar Organized by MECC

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: we consider in the Council that any discrimination is a betrayal of the Christian faith and belief

The Middle East Council of Churches held its fifth monthly webinar entitled “Living In Dignity For Persons With Disability”, on the evening of Thursday 8 December 2022, with the participation of university professors, academics, and interested attendees. Noting that the webinar is part of a series of monthly symposiums which are launched previously by MECC, in preparation for the project of Human Dignity and Social Capital Rehabilitation that the Council is planning.

The webinar was moderated by Dr. Laure Abi Khalil. It began with an opening note by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs who stressed that the Council is concerned with the fate of countries and citizens, cares about peoples' issues, pursues and protect their interests with all available capabilities. He added, "our Savior has fed the hungry and healed the sick without any type of discrimination. Therefore, we consider in MECC that any discrimination is a betrayal of the Christian faith and belief...".