MECC Invites You to A Conference (In Arabic) on the Armenian Genocide

Under the Auspices of His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian

“Keeping Memory Alive”, Delivered by the Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs

Monday 22 April 2024

As part of the activities of the Fiftieth Year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and under the auspices of His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Catholic Family, MECC invites you to a conference (in Arabic) on the Armenian Genocide entitled “Keeping Memory Alive”, which will be delivered by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs. It will be held on Monday 22 April 2024, at 7 PM, in the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate in Geitawi, Lebanon.

What Are Its Objectives?

With the worsening security, living, social, economic and health crises in the Middle East and the world amidst the heightened severity of the repercussions of conflicts and wars taking place across the globe, humans are now living in front of an unknown future, facing daily challenges and pressures, and searching for a dignity that was stolen from them, but are there any ears listening to their pain? In fact, people are living in a bitter reality that may sound the alarm bell!

In light of the absence of government action in various countries around the world, especially in the Middle East, the Church has become the only safe refuge for many citizens that are unable to overcome the difficulties of their lives and secure the necessities of their livelihood. Hence, this is a factor that indicates that the burden has become great on the Church, which seeks with all its capabilities to help people restore their hope.

In this context, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Diakonia and Social Service Department, in cooperation with TearFund organization, is organizing a workshop on the Church’s response in times of disasters, that will be implemented for the first time in Lebanon, for a group of clergy and laic people who are working in the Church field, between 19 and 21 April 2024, in Bethania - Harissa, Lebanon.

The difficult security conditions in the South of Lebanon have cast a shadow over the citizens of the region and burdened them. In fact, they are facing now many living challenges that confuse them and limit their usual activities, especially since many of them have been internally displaced to other areas or even to shelter centers. In light of all these humanitarian developments, children are victims of injustice and unfairness as a result of the various crises which are surrounding their families.

Therefore, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues its field relief work in the South of Lebanon in order to heal the wounds of the most affected people by the social and economic conditions. Hence, the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, recently distributed 1656 cans of milk to children from 1 to 3 years old in collective shelters and houses in the Tyr and Zahrani regions, where each child received two cans of milk.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in the Book Launching Ceremony and Honoring His Eminence Bishop Youssef Kallas

His Beatitude Patriarch Youssef Al-Absi, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), headed the launch ceremony of the book “A Strive for a Fraternal Reconciliation in Antioch,” and honoring His Eminence Bishop Youssef Kallas, former Metropolitan of Beirut, Byblos, and their dependencies. The ceremony was in cooperation with the Archdiocese of Beirut and Byblos and their Dependencies, the Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Paul, and the Father Jean Corbon Foundation. It was held on Sunday 7 April 2024, at the “Liqaa” Center - Rabweh, Lebanon.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in A Ramadan Iftar

His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna: The truth exists and hope is placed on people of reason and wisdom and on advocates of peace in every place and time

At the invitation of the Sheikhdom of the Mind and the Sectarian Council in Lebanon and in the presence of His Eminence Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze Community Sheikh Dr. Sami Abi Al-Muna, an official and spiritual Ramadan Iftar was held on Wednesday 10 April 2024, at the Headquarters of the Unitarian Druze Sect in Beirut. It was held with the participation of political, official and social figures, Deputies, Ministers, Spiritual Leaders from various Sects, Judges, Cheikhs, Fathers, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, and guests.

Is there anything uglier than need? Is there anything more painful than extending your hand to others, asking for what will sustain you?

God has created man with mind and body to be his means of survival and progress, which can only be achieved through knowledge and work. These two magical words have defined the course of humanity and charted the paths for its growth and prosperity.

We are in societies that were the first to invent science and technologies that have become the means of work, from the invention of the alphabet, to the wheel, to chemistry, to algebra, and geometry, and exporting all these achievements to the world.

Our societies, which the world unanimously calls the cradle of civilization, have been subjected for centuries, and in the past few decades at a harsher pace, to fierce attacks that destroy both people and structures in an attempt to erase our role from history.

We are exposed to impoverishment because the saying "impoverishment conquers" complements the saying "divide and rule." Therefore, our economic facilities are destroyed, in the Antiochian Levant, as in the rest of the Arab countries, our civilization is dismantled, and our scientific edifices are targeted. This leads to the migration of our brainpower, aiming to replace our people with outcasts... but the dreams of those aiming at that will not come true.

Middle East Socioeconomic Overview

Report: March 2024

Although the occupant force has yet to officially launch an operation on Rafah and therefore send ground forces, airstrikes that are killing innocent women and children are already being reported. This alone is an indicator that they may be not shying away from the future operation which is being fully prepared for. Despite diplomatic efforts by countries from all the world to establish a cease fire that will allow humanitarian assistance to make its way to civilians, the occupation entity claims that would give their enemies a chance to regroup. For the time being, much of international community is worried about escalation in Rafah as it will lead to a bigger humanitarian catastrophe.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Communication and Public Relations Department, have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of April 2024. 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.

With the worsening security circumstances in the South of Lebanon due to the ongoing conflicts in the region, its residents are still suffering from many living challenges and psychological pressures that increase daily in the face of an unknown future. In this context, psychological and social support has become necessary, especially for the most vulnerable citizens, in order to alleviate their pain and help them overcome the difficulties surrounding them with hope and determination.

Hence, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues its relief work in the South of Lebanon with the aim of supporting the internally displaced people in various regions and shelter centers by providing in-kind assistance as well as psychological and social support. Thus, the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, Lebanon’s Office, implemented training courses for many displaced women on “self-care and services specialized in protecting women and children”. At the end of the courses, the participants received food and personal kits dedicated for women and children.

Mrs. Rosaline Mousa Presents Her Story and How She Benefited from the Course

With the aim of empowering people in Syria and enhancing their capabilities and livelihoods, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Syria’s Office, organized a new Business Start Up Course in Syria, which helped many families secure a source of income and restore hope to their lives. Hence, the video sheds light on the story of Mrs. Rosaline Mousa, one of the course’s beneficiaries, and how the Middle East Council of Churches supported her.

In order to alleviate the economic burden on families and enhance their ability to access low-cost food and produce a variety of crops and foods in home gardens, a team from the Diakonia and Social Department, at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), provided winter seeds to the most vulnerable families in Tibneh village in Dara’a Governorate – Syria.

Families received winter seed kits which included beans, cabbage, lettuce, radish, parsley, cauliflower, coriander, and onions, as well as fertilizer and tools such as shovel, rake, hoe, plastic hose, brass tap, mulch, and a plastic water tank.

Noting that 190 families, including women-headed households, in Tibneh, benefited from the seed distributions.

An agricultural engineer visited all the beneficiaries twice a month to check on the plants and provide all necessary support and advice to the farmers to ensure good production.

In this Easter we lift our Hope through the Resurrection of Jesus. May we join Together in an Ecumenical Modesty to preach The transforming Love of Christ to the world

In the midst of conflicts, disputes, and even hate speech, which often includes mutual criticism at the level of religious belief, we tend to forget our similarities and the many things we share. These commonalities overshadow what divides us, proving that we are peoples who have lived on the same earth, under the same sky, breathing the same air and drinking the same water. We have exchanged many ideas and sayings, interacted with the same values, shared the same aspirations, and most importantly, belong to the same homeland, and therefore, share the same destiny.

In our region, our country, we belong to different religions, as is the case in the world today. If religion becomes an element of discrimination and division, it signifies that we are a nation ready to split at any moment, or at any political juncture. We could easily add the element of ethnic or racial division to the religious division.

This is on the social and political surface.

However, if we delve into our cultural structure, and our mental and value structure, we realize that in this same field that could be the cause of our division, there is something that unites us deeply, but of which we are not aware, so we do not recognize its value and do not adopt it as a paradigm of interaction that unites instead of dividing.

On a purely religious level, that is, at the level of religious belief, and despite the existence of fundamental differences between different beliefs, we must acknowledge that there are common elements that strongly unite people, and which are deeply rooted into their faith.

In partnership with Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel

With the blessing and presence of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy See of Cilicia, President of the World Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches, and within the framework of the activities that are being implemented by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) on the occasion of the Fiftieth Year of its Founding, MECC held an Ecumenical gathering on Wednesday 20 March 2024, hosted by the Armenian Orthodox Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias - Lebanon. In this context, the video sheds light on this Ecumenical gathering.

Within the framework of his tour in the Arab Republic of Egypt to commemorate the Fiftieth Year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and on the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Egypt, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, met in Alexandria, with the Member of the Parliament of Egypt and Activist in the field of people with special needs Dr. Nada Tabet, and Member of the Egyptian Senate Dr. Hiba Sharobim, during which they discussed the importance of preserving human rights and dignity. Thus, you can find in the video details about these two meetings.

On the occasion of the Fiftieth Year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and in celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Egypt, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs visited Alexandria, where he met with His Beatitude Pope Theodoros II, Greek Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Church Leaders in the region and official personalities. Hence, you can find in the video a highlight about this visit.

The Feast of the Annunciation in Lebanon as an Example

A Round Table Organized by MECC

Sessions Emphasizing the Necessity of Promoting Human Values ​​for a Better Future

As part of the Year Fifty activities of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), MECC held a round table entitled “Shared Religious Spaces in the Middle East, the Feast of the Annunciation in Lebanon as an Example,” out of its belief in spreading the principles of dialogue and cooperation and the values ​​of love and fraternity, on Saturday 23 March 2024, at the headquarters of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut.

The round table included three sessions with speakers, Church leaders and experts from various fields and countries in the Middle East, who spoke about their expertise and experiences in their countries, emphasizing that what unites us is more than what divides us and that the convergence of all religions is a basis for ensuring the stability and prosperity of societies, and this requires mutual respect, listening and communication.

Attendees were specialists and interested people in the topic at hand, at the offices of the General Secretariat, or followed online via the “Zoom” platform. Noting that the seminar was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page, on Télé Lumière and Noursat, and on various religious and secular TV stations.

The seminar began with a speech delivered by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, in which he stressed the importance of living together in peace and justice, away from all differences and conflicts. He also emphasized the need to consolidate the spirit of love and tolerance among all components of societies, in order to preserve human dignity and ensure a brighter and more advanced future.