Approaches, Tools and Cautions

Man is an integrated whole, a social, economic and psychological being at the same time. Moreover,  it is not possible to separate these dimensions from each other, nor to work on one of them without working on the other. The same could be said about the main dimension which is religion: it enshrines the story of creation and the path of salvation for the human being who has been discovering his weakness day after day, and his helplessness before the greatness of the Creator and of creation, despite the progress of science and knowledge. This statement is moresow true of humankind, the greater is his knowledge, the greater is his realization of the greatness of his Creator and the more he becomes conscious of his weakness as he ignores the necessity of His support.

As part of its endeavor to support the affected people of the city of Lattakia and with the aim to alleviate the repercussions of the earthquake disaster, the Middle East Council of Churches’ team, Service and Relief – Diakonia Department, visited the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Lattakia. The team met His Eminence Metropolitan Athanasisos Fahed, Metropolitan of Lattakia and Dependencies, as well as representatives of Churches and members of the "Follow-up and Coordination" Committee in the Archdiocese, in order to discuss how to provide support and assistance to the people and mitigate the effects of the earthquake.

Report: March 8th, 2023

The Middle East Council of Churches is being involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Syria under the name of "Rescue Syria Campaign" through which the Council shall be dealing with the relief efforts in this emergency period and later on with rehabilitation plans in order to help people survive properly and resume a normal life with dignity.

MECC will be publishing a periodical report under the name of "Rescue Syria Update" which will keep you informed about the developments of MECC action as well as the overall situation in a context analysis perspective. 

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant, families in Syria are experiencing today a new emigration wave and facing additional life difficulties as a result of this catastrophe. The earthquake was like a fatal blow after years of war in Syria that cast a shadow over the Syrian people. In fact, thousands of survivors fled to shelters, where they are sleeping on the ground amidst a severe cold wave, or even lived in tents set up in parks and streets.

New Hope for Lebanon, organized by USJ in Beirut

On the occasion of the silver jubilee of the Apostolic Exhortation “New Hope for Lebanon”, signed by Saint Pope John Paul II in Beirut in 1997, and as part of the series of lecture “Faculty’s Tuesday”, the Faculty of Religious Sciences at Saint Joseph University (USJ) organized a lecture entitled “The Apostolic Exhortation, New Hope for Lebanon, Is it still valid today?". It was held on Tuesday 28 February 2023, at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Humanities Campus.

USJ Rector the Jesuit Father Professor Salim Daccache, and His Excellency the Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education Judge Dr. Abbas Halabi, were the speakers in the lecture. The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs also participated alongside intellectual, cultural and educational personalities and professors from the Ministry, the Lebanese University and USJ.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X: We will not sink in fear and darkness because we are the children of light and not the children of darkness

As part of his visit to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo, Alexandretta and Dependencies, with the beginning of Lent, and after the earthquake that hit the area, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox family, was accompanied by the Archdiocese Bishop His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim Maalouli and the Governor of Aleppo Hussein Diab, in a meeting at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Saint Elias. They met representatives of parties, institutions, relief work committees, associations and volunteers who worked to support the affected people by the earthquake disaster.

His Beatitude delivered a speech in which he expressed to the audience love and condolence. He said “It is more blessed to give than receive, and you gave the world a lesson through giving and devotion. The efforts made by each one of you proved that the storm of the harsh earthquake was replaced by the storm of love showed by the archdiocese through solidarity and support, acts of love and service to its people.”

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which title is “Medical Ethics, the Physician and Society”. It was the speech he delivered at the monthly webinar organized by MECC under the title of “Medical Ethics and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 23 February 2023.

In the issue, the Secretary General Dr. Abs congratulates Reverend Joseph Kassab, member of the MECC Executive Committee, on his re-election as President of the Supreme Synod of the Evangelical Community. He also congratulates the members of the administrative office and the Executive Committee of the Synod, on their election. It was during the general meeting of the General Assembly of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community.

The issue also presents a news about the participation of the Secretary General Dr. Abs in the ordination of Jirair Ghazarian who was granted the title of "Verabadveli", in the Armenian Evangelical Church. It was held at the invitation of The Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), on Sunday 26 February 2023, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church, in Beirut.

Lectionary Selection:  John 3: 1-17

Prayer from Jordan

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for our beautiful country and that we live in the same place where you were baptized, the Jordan River. It is a great privilege that you have honored every Jordanian with. We ask you, Lord, to give our leadership and its representatives the wisdom and perseverance to lead and take the right path toward keeping our country secure and stable. We pray that rain will fall abundantly and fill the dams in Jordan. We place our team at the Middle East Council of Churches here in Jordan, their families, and the most vulnerable people they serve between your merciful hands and love; Lord, offer them warmth during this harsh winter and provide them with enough fuel to stay warm…

Report: March 2nd, 2023

The Middle East Council of Churches is being involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Syria under the name of "Rescue Syria Campaign" through which the Council shall be dealing with the relief efforts in this emergency period and later on with rehabilitation plans in order to help people survive properly and resume a normal life with dignity.

MECC will be publishing a periodical report under the name of "Rescue Syria Update" which will keep you informed about the developments of MECC action as well as the overall situation in a context analysis perspective. 

This intervention was delivered at the Symposium on Medical Ethics and Human Dignity

There is no profession equivalent to the medical profession in terms of the danger it presents in terms of people's health, longevity, and ability to work and produce. Therefore, the doctor occupies a prominent place among the professionals of modern society, and sociology of work research has classified the medical profession in the highest category of professions that enjoy social appreciation, praise and prestige.

Laws provide protection and immunity for the doctor, commensurate with the seriousness of his work as a person concerned with people’s lives and safety. The powers of some of these laws depend on the limits of confidentiality of the profession, which is a confidentiality with relatively wide limits, because it includes the privacy of the patient’s health status, which no one has the right to access except with a legitimate justification. This leads to the fact that the doctor enjoys relatively high freedom in some areas, allowing him great independence in practicing his profession, especially since he is the one who diagnoses, treats and deals with the problems that may result from the effects of treatment.

The Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of March 2023. It includes the Ecclesiastical and Liturgical feasts of the various families of Churches in the Middle East. In addition to international days identified by the United Nations, and which are related to the MECC identity and its spiritual and human mission.