An MECC Delegation visiting the Coptic Orthodox Church in Beirut

Thursday August 31, 2020

A delegation from the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) including Father Gaby Alfred Hachem, Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department (TED), Sister Emily Tannous, Coordinator of the Department, and Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, representing Dr. Souraya Bechealany, MECC Secretary General,  visited the Coptic Orthodox Church in Sin El Fil, to meet with His Eminence Anba Antonius, Coptic Bishop of Jerusalem, Lebanon, Kuwait and the Gulf and to welcome Coptic Monk Timon Al-Suriani, who was appointed as the new Head of the Coptic Church in Lebanon.

On behalf of the Council and the Church in Lebanon, the delegation renewed its gratitude for His Holiness Pope Tawadros II and the Coptic Church for their affection, love and support demonstrated during the catastrophe that devastated Beirut on the fourth of August.

The delegation also explained to His Eminence the work of the Council, its ecumenical endeavor, its programs in the Middle East, as well as its main role in the relief and reconstruction of Beirut through its spiritual and humanitarian appeal, and its call for solidarity addressed to partners, organizations and governments in the world. The delegation wished Rev. Timon all the luck in his blessed service to the Coptic Church and hoped he will be able to establish a fruitful cooperation with the churches in Lebanon, noting that he had worked for years as director of the Youth Program in the Council of Churches.