Lecture by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs

Wednesday 25 January 2023, 6 pm - Saint Joseph University in Beirut

The Department of Religious Sciences at the Faculty of Religious Sciences, at Saint Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut, is organizing a series of lectures centered around the topic "The Relation Between Power and Religion". The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs will hold a lecture entitled “Religion and Power: Relations and Challenges”, on Wednesday 25 January 2023, at 6 pm, in Joseph Zaarour hall, 6th floor, Humanities Campus, at USJ, Al Sham Road.

The Churches of the World Celebrates the Enthronement Ceremony of the 76th Archbishop

“In Cyprus, the Church has the first word. And all eyes are on me.” With these words, His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios started his new mission as Archbishop of New Justinian and All Cyprus, recognizing the weight of his responsibility assigned to him by God. His Beatitude said these words at his Enthronement ceremony as the 76th head of Cyprus’ Church, on Sunday 8 January 2023, at the Apostolos Varnavas Cathedral in Nicosia. His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios is succeeding the Late Archbishop Chrysostomos II, who died at the age of 81, in November 2022, after a long battle with illness.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs headed a delegation from the MECC General Secretariat in a visit to His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, on Friday 6 January 2023, at the Catholicosate in Antelias, Lebanon. The delegation included the MECC Associate Secretary General Mrs. Seta Hadeshian and the Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar.

Secretary General Dr. Abs and the MECC delegation extended their greetings to His Holiness on the occasion of Christmas, asking God to protect and preserve him, and grant him health and strength in his Church and Pastoral mission.

Christmas and New Year's Eve in the Middle East have a special character at the level of society as a whole, but in Lebanon we witness specific traditions in this field, which deserve our attention because of the meanings and lessons they carry in them.

Two phenomena  characterize these two holidays and deserve contemplation and analysis.

The first phenomenon is the decorations of Christmas and the New Year and their celebrations, while the second phenomenon is the fortune-tellers and the soothsayers and their public appearances, their hypocrisy and their manipulation of people's feelings and perchance their fate too.

Christmas decorations have become a widely shared Lebanese phenomenon among all segments of the Lebanese society, regardless of their affiliations. We had witnessed them in the past in a somewhat subtle way, but today they have "invaded" all regions, especially the regions with a non-Christian population majority, and this is what deserves to be emphasized and praised.

Following the recent vandalism and desecration of the Protestant Cemetery on Mt. Zion, the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem headed by His Eminence Archbishop Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church, Diocese of Jerusalem, issued a statement, on Wednesday 4 January 2023, in which it condemns these acts of desecration and calls the relevant authorities to search for, apprehend, and prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes.

In turn, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches denounces any attack on religious symbols and places and calls for prayers for peace to come to the cradle of the King of Peace.

You can find the full text of the statement.

Discussions Were Held on the Middle East’s Situation and MECC Issues Towards its 50-Year Jubilee

On the occasion of Christmas and New Year, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs visited His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East and MECC President for the Orthodox Family, on Wednesday 4 January 2023, at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Damascus, Syria.

Dr. Abs headed a delegation from the Council’s General Secretariat which included the MECC Associate Secretary General Father Nicolas Bustros and the Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar. A delegation from the MECC Syria’s office also joined Dr. Abs, and it included the Program’s Director Mr. Ghassan Chahine, the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Mrs. Rita Farah, and the Photographer Paula Antoun. The visit was at the presence of His Eminence Bishops Saba Esber, Moussa El-Khoury, Moses Al-Khosi, Youhanna Batach, and the Patriarchal Vicar Romanos Al-Hannat.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, visited the Council’s Office in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday 4 January 2023. He was accompanied by the MECC Associate Secretary General Father Nicolas Bustros and the Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar.

As part of the visit, Dr. Abs and the visiting delegation held a meeting with the MECC team work in Damascus. They discussed general issues related to the MECC work and its services, in addition to other issues related to the region and its needs.

Together We Unite in Prayer and Work for Good and Justice  

One of the most awaited Ecumenical occasions starts this month. It is the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”, a week which includes a Prayer Octave that extends between 18 and 25 January every year. During this week, we unite in Prayer, reflection and hymns to our Lord Jesus Christ, through a special international booklet that the Middle East Council of Churches translates annually into Arabic. This year’s title of the booklet is “Do good; seek justice” (Isaiah 1:17)

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime -- until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you (Isaiah 46:4).

As the Lebanese economy continues its downward trajectory, many citizens are losing their sources of income. As a result, the elderly who still depend on younger generations for livelihood, are finding it increasingly difficult to secure financial resources to pay for all expenses related to food, health, electricity etc…

While many organizations are reporting donor fatigue due to the protracted crisis in the region, the Middle East Council of Churches is still able to assist the elderly, albeit limited resources.