Organized by the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council in Lebanon

On the twenty-fourth commemoration of the passing of Imam Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shams Al-Din, and under the patronage of the Scholar Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, the Vice-President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council in Lebanon held a dialogue symposium about the thought of Sheikh Shams Al-Din, on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at the headquarters of the Islamic Shiite Council in Hazmieh - Lebanon.

In this context, this report presents details about the symposium, as well as some interviews with participants.

Stay Tuned for a Special Episode with Monsignor Abdo Abou Kasm and the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary on Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel

Watch with us a special episode entitled “The Word Unites Us”, from “The Platform of the Word” at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), with the Director of the Catholic Information Center in Lebanon Monsignor Abdo Abou Kasm, on Thursday 13 Februatry 2025, at 1:45 pm Beirut Time, on Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel. He was interviewed by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Director of “The Platform of the Word”, and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC.

The episode focused on the importance of the media in spreading the values of love, fraternity and peace away from the discourse of hatred and injustice, in addition to the role of "The Platform of the Word" in the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and its mission in strengthening the Ecumenical spirit.

On the Occasion of the Anniversary of His Enthronement as Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East

On the occasion of the Yearly Anniversary of the Enthronement of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, as Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, the Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs, on behalf of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) family, extends his warmest congratulations to His Beatitude, the Successor of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Thirteenth of the Holy and Pure Apostles Saints, and the President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox family, wishing him continued health and success in his pastoral service as a faithful servant of the Church of Christ.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) also raises its Prayers to God on the intention of His Beatitude Patriarch John X, to bless his service, bestow His graces upon him, and grant him the power of the Holy Spirit to lead his Church to the salvation in the name of Jesus Christ, and to remain a model of love and endless giving in the field of the Lord, wishing him many years of goodness, blessing, and holiness.

About His Upcoming Visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt and His Participation in the Celebrations of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

A Campaign on the Occasion of the International Day for the Protection of Children from Internet Abuse

The Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs, through the National Program for the Protection of Family and Childhood and the Higher Council for Childhood, in partnership with the relevant ministries (Ministry of Education and Higher Education, The Center for Educational Research and Development, Ministry of Justice, Internal Security Forces - Cybercrime Bureau, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Information, Ogero), UNICEF, and civil society organizations (Himaya Association, Union for the Protection of Juveniles in Lebanon, Justice Without Borders Association, Internet Society Association, Dot Lebanon Association, Tasami Association, Rakaz Association, René Moawad Foundation, Takaful Association for Child Welfare, Syndicate of Educational Technology in Lebanon, Digital Transformation and Digital Governance Network), with the support of Promomedia, launches the media and advertising campaign entitled:

"At this Moment, Your children Are At Risk... The Internet Is Not Always Safe"

On the occasion of the International Day for the Protection of Children from Internet Abuse.

Dialogue and Safeguarding the Nation

A speech by Professor Dr. Michel Abs
Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches
Delivered at the seminar on the thought of Imam Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din
on the 24th anniversary of his passing
February 5, 2025
At the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council in Hazmieh – Lebanon

When I think of the eminent scholar Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din, I am first reminded of his gentle, loving smile and his kind countenance, behind which there was a far-sighted vision gazing into the distance, trying to decipher its secrets, perhaps to protect the nation and strengthen the future of its children. His sharp insight was one of his principal characteristics, and he employed it in the service of the faithful community, the Shi‘a of Lebanon—I avoid using the word “sect”—and the nation.

Allow me to interject a brief personal note: I sensed that same good spirit in his son, my friend and His Excellency the Minister Ibrahim, as well as in his grandson Khalil, the diligent student in the master’s program I used to lead at Saint Joseph University.

I got to know Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din through my membership, starting in 1997, in the “Islamic-Christian National Committee for Dialogue,” which he helped establish. Through it, through the activities of its members and thanks to his guidance and support, we contributed to safeguarding civil peace and preventing strife on many occasions. God alone knows where such strife would have led us when it often began with a seemingly minor incident of little apparent importance.

Whenever we visited him to draw from his wisdom, it was clear that he embraced the idea of Lebanon as the final homeland, stressing the need to preserve all components of the nation and to protect civil peace as a means of safeguarding the country. He would present his thoughts and opinions to us gently and simply, like a loving father who refuses to allow anyone to compromise the nation.

Together In an Ecumenical Journey

Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian: Our partners have accompanied the MECC quite closely and they still do, and we are blessed by a global partnership

Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs: MECC has been a tool of paradigm change in the area, among the churches and in society, and shall continue to be so

Under the title “Partners Ongoing Accompaniment of MECC in the Ecumenical Journey”, the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), headed by the Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs, held its annual meeting with the MECC partners from international and regional organizations and institutions, on Thursday, February 6, 2025. It aimed at presenting the achievements made by the Council, as well as the upcoming entitlements, in addition to exchanging opinions and experiences in order to develop the work mechanisms and achieve the desired goals, working together towards a more effective future partnership.

The meeting was attended online by representatives of various organizations and institutions partnering with the Middle East Council of Churches from around the world, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Evangelical Family, and Members of the MECC Executive Committee, as well as Directors and Coordinators of the Council’s departments and the team work in person from the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

Of the Late Imam Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shams Al-Din

Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib: The basis of the Islamic religion rejects sectarianism but adopts sects and living with sects in peace

The MECC Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs: Any word or action issued by the Scholar Imam Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shams Al-Din are deeply imprinted with the logic of dialogue that the Great Imam lives as a logic of life

On the twenty-fourth commemoration of the passing of Imam Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shams Al-Din, and under the patronage of the Scholar Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, the Vice-President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council in Lebanon held a dialogue symposium about the thought of Sheikh Shams Al-Din, on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at the headquarters of the Islamic Shiite Council in Hazmieh - Lebanon.

The symposium was moderated by Dr. Jihad Saad, and the speakers were the Editor-in-chief of Al-Liwaa Newspaper Mr. Salah Salam, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs, and the Dean of the Higher Doctoral School of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences at the Lebanese University Dr. Hussein Rahal.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18: 20).

With these Holy Words, the team of the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in Beirut continues its periodic meetings headed by the MECC Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs, raising Prayers to the Lord Jesus for the intention of peace and justice in the Middle East and the world, for the suffering and marginalized people, and for every human being on this earth.

In its last meeting on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, the family of the MECC General Secretariat gathered around the Gospel of the Feast of the Presentation of Christ into the Temple, which was read by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Director of “The Platform of the Word” and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC, in an atmosphere of reverence, contemplation and fraternity, amidst an inner peace that filled the hearts of the worshipers.

In the video, you can find a Church News Bulletin on Mariam TV, which includes the latest updates of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). The bulletin is prepared and presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the Director of “The Platform of the Word” and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC.

What Are the Details?

What is the Importance of Its Message?

The world celebrates the "International Day of Human Fraternity" on February 4 of each year, as adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. A day that reminds us of the importance of living in peace and love among all the inhabitants of the earth. Hence, this report sheds light on the most important meanings that this day carries, emphasizing the need for solidarity, cooperation and unity.