"Nostra Aetate"

The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs: " The concept of ecumenism in the MECC has expanded: once referring only to Christians in all their diversity, it now embraces all people of the world"

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the document "Nostra Aetate," the Episcopal Committee, established by the Council of Maronite Bishops and Presided Over by His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and under his guidance, organized a symbolic celebration on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the Maronite Patriarchal Edifice in Bkerke, Lebanon. The committee included Their Eminences Archbishops Guy Paul Najem, Paul Matar, Youssef Soueif, and Hanna Rahme.

The celebration was held in the presence of His Beatitude Patriarch Al-Rai, His Beatitude Patriarch Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, and Honorary President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), His Excellency Archbishop Paolo Borgia, Apostolic Nuncio, 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, Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Muna, Sheikh Al-Aql of the Unitarian Druze Community, and with the participation of Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Represented by Sheikh Muhammad Imam, Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, Vice President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Represented by Sheikh Hassan Abdallah, Mufti of Tyre and Jabal Amel, Sheikh Ali Qaddour, President of the Alawite Council in Lebanon, Represented by Sheikh Ahmad Assi, and the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs.

Cardinal George Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue at the Holy See, also participated with a video message addressed to the Religious and lay people from various denominations.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) continues its dedicated efforts to support the educational process and provide a healthy, safe school environment that protects students.

Recently, these efforts were translated into action through the rehabilitation of six schools in Dara’a Governorate, implemented through the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department, Syria’s Office.

The project contributed to improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, upgrading classrooms and hallways, and ensuring a more comfortable environment for both students and teachers.

The renovation works included the rehabilitation of sewerage system infrastructure and its fittings, maintenance of the drinking water network, and the installation of faucets, toilets, doors, tiles. In addition, new water tanks were installed, painting works were carried out, and canopies were added in the schoolyards to protect students from the sun and rain.

An Historic Event that Strengthens the Human Values Uniting All Components of the Society

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

In preparation for the visit of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to Lebanon, bearing the slogan " Blessed Are the Peacemakers," the Catholic Media Center in Lebanon held a press conference announcing the details of the national event and the Ecumenical and Interreligious meeting that will take place as part of the Holy Father's visit program, on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 4:00 pm at the Martyrs' Square in Beirut.

The press conference, held on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at the Catholic Media Center in Beirut, began with a speech by Monsignor Abdo Abou Kassem, Director of the Catholic Media Center, and the Church Media Coordinator for the Pope's visit to Lebanon. He spoke about the importance of the conference, which highlighted the details of the Ecumenical and Interreligious meeting, emphasizing its role in strengthening love, dialogue, and fraternity within Lebanese society which is characterized by its rich cultural diversity.

The Middle East Council of Churches Participates in the Ceremony Held for the Occasion

“Momentum”

7-11-2025

This issue includes reports, videos, news, articles, and a full coverage of the latest developments of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), as well as the Church, Ecumenical, and social events…

This is in addition to the weekly word of the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs which is entitled in this issue “Between Education and Dignity: A Society in Crisis”. It i the word that he delivered at the seminar organized by MECC under the title "Education in Lebanon and Human Dignity", on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

You can check the issue via the following link:
https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=1db32cafe9ea32b38eb90480a&id=c288b4ac90.

You can also subscribe to the Momentum Newsletter via the following link:

https://mecc.us14.list-manage.com/subscribe?id=fd3381352a&u=1db32cafe9ea32b38eb90480a.

An Episode Within the "Community Knowledge" Series

"Nostra Aetate"

Professor Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

When education lacks the necessary facilities and resources in a society whose primary wealth lies in its human resources and competencies, this represents the height of challenges.

Throughout their ancient and modern history, the Lebanese have known how to compensate for their scarcity of natural resources by focusing on human capabilities. They built a society based on innovation, creativity, initiative, and leadership across all fields, enabling them to enjoy a standard of living far exceeding their natural means.

In ancient times, the fleets of the Canaanite Phoenicians sailed the seas in search of adventure and wealth, succeeding greatly and culminating in the founding of Carthage after their mastery of the purple trade and maritime conquests.

In modern times, following the Industrial Revolution, the collapse of the agricultural structures of Mount Lebanon, the two World Wars, the Mandate period, and later the era of independence with its massive rural migration, Lebanese society discovered that education and capacity-building were the only paths to revival. Agriculture had disintegrated; industry remained mostly artisanal and was threatened by competition from Western imports.

Since the establishment of missionary universities in Lebanon in the nineteenth century, along with the accompanying school networks, Lebanon has become a cradle of learning and home to the largest number of schools and universities in the Antiochian East relative to its size.

For more than half a century, Lebanon came to be known as “the School of the East” and “the University of the East.” Education flourished impressively—both in terms of curriculum relevance and the quality of its institutions and instruction…

His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan: The Call to Imitate Jesus

St. Joseph Al-Mansour Church - Iraq

November 1, 2025

A Seminar on Education in Lebanon and Human Dignity Emphasizes the Need to Guarantee Equal Opportunities for All

The Secretary General Professor Michel Abs: "Between education and dignity, a society in crisis"

As part of raising awareness about many current social and educational issues, and their relation with human dignity, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) organized a seminar entitled "Education in Lebanon and Human Dignity" on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut. It was attended by specialists and researchers from various fields.

The seminar, which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page (Part 1 - Part 2), began with a welcoming word by Professor Laure Abi Khalil, Coordinator of the "Dialogue, Social Cohesion and Preservation of Human Dignity" projects at MECC, in which she said: "Protecting education in Lebanon is not a financial issue… it is a matter of values. It is a societal battle that no one can fight alone."

She continued, "I present to you three fundamental messages from which we need to proceed: First, education is the cornerstone of human dignity and an inalienable right. Second, the school is not a service company… but a national project for building a cohesive society. Third, the teacher is the focal point – and education will not flourish without the teacher's advancement…"

Then, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, delivered a speech entitled "Between Education and Dignity: A Society in Crisis," in which he pointed out that today "there is a race between the forces that want to make education a mean of equal opportunities for all segments of society, and consequently a mean of human dignity, and the forces that are indifferent to this issue."

He added, "If science and education, followed by vocational specialization, do not provide equal opportunities for Lebanese citizens to learn and build their future, and consequently, if education does not become a mean of social mobility, then it is certainly not a mean of ensuring human dignity."

Discussions About Strengthening the MECC Work in Jordan

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs met with His Eminence Archbishop Christoforos Atallah, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Jordan, and President of the Council of Heads of Churches in Jordan, in the presence of Archdeacon Sylvester Awad and Economos Semaan Khoury, on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, in Beirut.

During the meeting, the attendees discussed the latest developments in the work of the Middle East Council of Churches, focusing on its activities in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and its most prominent current initiatives. They also explored ways of coordination and cooperation to implement future projects in Jordan in order to achieve the desired Ecumenical and humanitarian goals.

On the other hand, both sides discussed the importance of the Epiphany celebration that will be held next year in Jordan, in addition to the possibility of to the attendance and participation of an MECC delegation in this celebration.

During his visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, held many meetings and sessions. As part of his program, he met with Mr. Samir Morcos, a Researcher, Former Minister, and Former MECC Associate Secretary General, in the presence of Reverend Refaat Fikry, the MECC Associate Secretary General.

The meeting included a discussion about the current issues and most prominent social, humanitarian, and cultural matters in the region. The attendees also discussed developments in the work of the Middle East Council of Churches and updates of its programs which it implements on various Theological, Ecumenical, humanitarian, and media levels.

The participants also agreed to continue their communication, coordination, and cooperation.

The MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs Participates in the Service