Norwegian Church Aid

Enhancing Cooperation in Humanitarian Service

A delegation from the international humanitarian organization Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), which is partner organization with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), visited the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, on Friday, March 28, 2025, at the Council's General Secretariat offices in Beirut. The meeting was attended by the Director of the Lebanon’s Office in the Diakonia Department Ms. Nina Hallak.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs explained the current circumstances that Lebanon and the region are passing through, speaking about the difficult economic and social crises that pose numerous challenges and hinder the normal activity in many areas.

MECC Media Highlights a Humanitarian Initiative with a Life Testimony

During the Blessed Season of Lent, the Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is preparing to produce a special report highlighting a humanitarian initiative launched by a young Lebanese man, owner of a small restaurant in Beirut, to help the neediest people, especially in light of the difficult circumstances that the country is experiencing.

This initiative came after the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) offered him support and assistance to the opening of his small business in the Dekwaneh area, particularly amidst the repercussions of the war in Lebanon.

Noting that MECC continued its field relief work to support those affected by this war at various levels.

Watch the report and the details of the initiative soon on the MECC platform!

On Mariam TV

Including Reports Produced by MECC

The Bulletin Is Prepared and Presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at MECC

Middle East Socioeconomic Overview

Report: March 2025

During this month, the war in Gaza restarted and accordingly, tension in the region reignited. Now, rumors of further escalation in the coming months are impacting the general economic wellbeing of the region and investors are a bit cautious whether to proceed further or not. Analysts warn that the region is heading toward a boiling point in which either regional powers will clash heavily or one will bend to the will of the other through compromise or diplomacy. Either way, we are nearing a critical period in global politics, and the period ahead will probably have all the answers.

His Grace Anba Antonios

In this episode, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Eastern Orthodox Family, talks about the meanings of Lent.

"From Misery to Healing" program is prepared and presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

A Special Episode on the Occasion of the Sixth Anniversary of Suboro TV with the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

“The Face of Mary”

"The Face of Mary"

On Mariam TV Within the Morning Program

With the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary and Professor Laure Abi Khalil

On the occasion of the Blessed Season of Lent, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Eastern Orthodox Family, was the guest of the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), in an episode of the program "From Misery to Healing."

The episode focused on the meanings of Lent and its dimensions in our lives today, as well as the traditions of the Coptic Orthodox Church during this Holy Season.

The episode is produced by the Platform of the Word at MECC and will soon be broadcasted on Télé Lumière and Noursat TV Channel, and the MECC platform.

In addition to recording the episode, the MECC team met with His Grace, seeking his paternal blessing and listening to his Pastoral guidance.

Noting that His Grace is visiting Lebanon, where he participates in many Prayers and meetings.

With His Eminence Bishop Mar Matthias Charles Mrad, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Beirut and the Head of the Episcopal Committee for Christian-Muslim Dialogue Emanating from the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon

On the Occasion of the Commemoration of His Patron Saint, Saint Theophilos

On the occasion of the Commemoration of Saint Theophilos, the Patron Saint of His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, extends, in the name of the MECC family, his heartfelt congratulations to His Beatitude, asking God to grant him blessings and strength in his many givings in the field of the Lord.

The Middle East Council of Churches also wishes His Beatitude continued health and success in his Pastoral mission and faithful service to the Church of Christ.

Exclusive: Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

With the escalation of wars and conflicts across the globe, and the worsening phenomenon of violence and violations from every direction, where are people today? Are there any ears that listen to their suffering? Are there serious initiatives to preserve their rights that have been taken away from them?

These are legitimate questions, and the answers may remain unknown amidst the absence of some practical and international steps as a result of the ongoing conflicts that cast their shadows across the region and the world. Humanity is at stake, and human dignity is breathing its last gasps.

Hence, the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on March 24, 2010, is a day that truly rings an alarm bell, especially as the number of victims of wars and conflicts continues to rise, searching for a justice awaited by their families as a beacon of hope amidst the tragedies surrounding them.

Based on the aforementioned considerations provided by the United Nations, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) follows up on all humanitarian issues, having always defending them, striving to be a resounding voice in the wilderness. The Council also continues its efforts to preserve human dignity and rights, and serve people with dignity through the roundtables it organizes and the prominent materials it presents via its media platforms, in addition to the social and relief programs it implements to heal the wounds of the neediest and destitute people.

With Abbot Edmond Rizk, Superior General of the Maronite Mariamite Order

Watch on Télé Lumière and Noursat an episode within the program "From Misery to Healing," produced by the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), with Reverend Dr. Hadi Ghantous, the Secretary of the Ecclesial and Spiritual Affairs Committee in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 12:30 pm Beirut time.

He is interviewed by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches.

The episode focuses on the meanings of Lent and this journey in the Evangelical Church.

Launching the "Face of Mary" Symposium

Professor Michel Abs

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

Welcome to Minbar Al Kalima (Platform of the Word), this heaven of dialogue launched by the Middle East Council of Churches months ago, from which we will be TV broadcasting starting Easter Monday, supported by Tele Lumiere-Noursat.

Welcome on the day of Saint Joseph, this greatest silent figure and distinctive symbol in the historical Christian scene.

Today, we gather, spiritual leaders, media representatives, and ecumenical bodies, to announce a joint symposium between the MECC and the Episcopal Committee for the Christian-Muslim Dialogue of the Assembly of the Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops of Lebanon, next Tuesday, March 25th, at the Syriac Catholic Church of the Annunciation in the Museum area, at 1:00 PM.

This symposium, titled "The Face of Mary", will feature interventions by women from the intellectual and developmental spheres, each with extensive experience in her field. I say women, as we wanted the interventions to be exclusively by women. Each will address Mary from her intellectual perspective and faith background, speaking to the people to say that society unites through women—a unity embodied in the face of Mary, who has garnered consensus across religions and the world, and after whom girls, shrines, churches, and monasteries are named…