In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, you can find details about the round table organized by MECC, as part of its monthly seminars, under the title “The Prisoner and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 26 January 2023, at the MECC Headquarters in Beirut. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Abs, it is entitled “Between punishment and Reform... Dignity”, and it was the speech which he delivered at the beginning of the round table.

For every crime, there is a punishment!

This is how we have been taught, and this is how laws are enacted and implemented, and this is how justice systems operate in the world.

People understand punishment as a punishment of a criminal act, a retaliation of each criminal according to his crime, and those affected by the crime declare that they have been psychologically relieved after the verdict or implementation of the punishment.

Moreover, in some cases, the affected people find that the verdict is not commensurate with the crime, and thus they express the depth of the damage or pain they have suffered, adding to that their disappointment with the judicial decision.

On the other hand, the perpetrator or his family find that the punishment was severe and harsh, and they give the perpetrator mitigating reasons to justify his criminal actions.

A Round Table Organized by MECC

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: If prison is not a place where the perpetrator regains his self-confidence and lost dignity because of what he had committed, then what a miserable place it is!

Amidst the exacerbated economic, social and political crises... in the region and the world, the human dignity is at risk, especially among the most vulnerable people. In light of the painful circumstances, the prisoner’s issue in the countries of the region seems to be forgotten or as if it is a side issue due to other humanitarian problems that may be considered as priorities for governments. But what are the prisoner's challenges today? How can we describe their psychological situation? What are the views of the law, society and religion towards the prisoner's issue?

Answers were highlighted during a round table held by the Middle East Council of Churches under the title "The Prisoner and Human Dignity", on Thursday 26 January 2023, as part of its series of monthly seminars. Participants were guests and experts who attended at the headquarters of the MECC’s General Secretariat in Beirut, or online via Zoom.

The seminar was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook page and started with a speech delivered by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs.

The Communication and Public Relations Department at the Middle East Council of Churches have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of February 2023. 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.

A New Sewing Training Course Has Started

Despite the activities and lectures that raise the voice in order to protect women's rights and dignity, women are still facing marginalization, injustice and exploitation in many societies around the world. Hence, many initiatives are seeking to empower and support them, especially that they are an essential part of the societies and have an important role in its development.

As part of its work in preserving human values, the Middle East Council of Churches has been implementing special programs for women in order to support them and develop their skills. With the beginning of 2023, the MECC’s office in Jordan launched, on January 23, a new sewing training course, with the participation of 20 Jordanian, Iraqi and Syrian women from the most vulnerable groups.

An Ecumenical Prayer Service in Bkerke at the Invitation of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Relations for the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participates in the Celebration

The “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2023 comes to an end. In fact, it is an annual Ecumenical occasion full of hope towards an eagerly awaited unity. It invites us to continue praying and meeting together all year long. For the occasion, an Ecumenical prayer service was held at the invitation of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Relations for the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon, on Sunday 22 January 2023. It was hosted by the Maronite Church at the Patriarchal Edifice in Bkerke, Lebanon, under the patronage and presence of His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East.

A delegation from the “Center for the Christians of the Orient”, including Dr. Boutros Labaki, Dr. Mounir Sader, General Charbel Abou Zeid and Mr. Wassim Abou Rjeily, visited the headquarters of the Middle East Council of Churches in Beirut, on Monday 23 January 2023. They met with the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, and discussed with him their activities, their presence in various countries of the Middle East, and the possibility of implementing joint projects in the future.

Hoy comienza la Semana de oración por la unidad de los cristianos, que se celebra del 18 al 25 de enero. Es una semana adoptada por las Iglesias del mundo como expresión de su rechazo a la división de los cristianos y de su anhelo de unidad de espíritu, de testimonio y de función.

El Consejo se ha asociado a esta actividad, ecuménica por excelencia en sus inicios.

Ha llevado a cabo diversas tareas para que fuera un éxito. En primer lugar, está firmemente convencido de la necesidad de la unidad entre los cristianos y, en segundo lugar, ha pasado a formar parte del calendario anual de los trabajos ecuménicos.

Fue un espectáculo maravilloso ver, el pasado domingo, en la apertura anticipada de esta semana en la catedral ortodoxa de San Jorge, en una de las ciudades del Monte Líbano, cómo el mayor número de líderes eclesiásticos se reunía para celebrar y rezar juntos en el contexto de la continuidad de las actividades de la Semana de Oración por la Unidad de las Iglesias.

By Damaris Dilling,

Next Sunday, 22 January, Ms Sally Azar will be ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, making her the first female pastor in Palestine. In 2006, the Evangelical Church had laid the foundation for this by deciding that women could also be ordained.

I arrive at the German Redeemer Church in the Old City of Jerusalem, where I have arranged to meet Sally for an interview and can literally feel the hustle and bustle and the special atmosphere inherent in the days before the significant ceremony. A journalist from the German television channel ARD is taking a few photos of Sally and her father, Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar. The liturgy for Sunday needs to be finalized, the first guests from Germany have already arrived and want to have a few words with Sally. After a brief chat with Bishop Azar, Sally takes me to the church café. We order two large cappuccinos and sit down in a quiet corner of the open courtyard of the old sanctuary. Despite the tension, Sally seems relaxed and looks forward to my interruption and takes time to answer my questions.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land announced that it will ordain Ms. Sally Azar, daughter of Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar, to be a Reverend in the Church, becoming the first female pastor in Palestine, on Sunday 22 January 2023, at 3pm Jerusalem time.

You can watch the livestream of the ceremony on the YouTube channel of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, through the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5ClyaldZZU.

"The Prisoner and Human Dignity"

Thursday 26 January 2023 - 9:30 am To 2:30 pm

As part of its series of monthly seminars, the Middle East Council of Churches has the honor to invite you to a round table entitled "The Prisoner and Human Dignity", on Thursday 26 January 2023, from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, at the headquarters of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut. You can participate in it on Zoom via the following link: https://tinyurl.com/9kzwm2be, or live on the MECC Facebook page.

The round table will start with an opening and welcome speech by Dr. Laure Abi Khalil, which will be followed by the speech of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Communication and Public Relations Department of the Middle East Council of Churches, you can find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Abs, which is entitled “Praying for Unity: A Phase of a Cultural Faith Process in the Making”, on the occasion of the beginning of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”. Dr. Abs highlighted the importance of building bridges and meeting together, stressing the need to strengthen the Ecumenical culture.

As part of the “Week of Payer for Christian Unity” celebrations, the issue presents a video report about the significance of the date of this week which extends between 18 and 25 January 2023. This is in addition to this week’s booklet, and the daily Prayers and reflections which you may publish and distribute every day.

Today begins the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which runs from the eighteenth to the twenty-fifth of January. It is a week adopted by the churches of the world as an expression of their rejection of Christian division and of their yearning for unity of spirit, testimony, and role.

The Council has been associated with this activity, which was ecumenical par excellence at its outset.

It has been carrying out various tasks in order to make it a success. First, it is firmly convinced of the need for unity among Christians, and second, it  has become part of the annual calendar of ecumenical work.

It was a wonderful sight to see, last Sunday, at the early opening of this week in the St. George's Orthodox Cathedral in one of the towns of Mount Lebanon, how the largest number of church leaders came together to celebrate and pray together in the context of keeping up with the activities of the Week of Prayer for Church Unity.

A Joint Seminar Between MECC and OHCHR

It is true that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the Lebanese expert Charles Malik wrote its final version. A Declaration that guarantees the preservation of human rights and dignity, but solidarity, awareness and preventing infringement of dignity have become necessary efforts today amidst some violations and obstacles.

Hence, the Middle East Council of Churches, in partnership with the Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), held an intellectual seminar entitled "Dignity, Freedom and Justice", on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was organized on Wednesday 11 January 2023, at the headquarters of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut.

The video presents an overview of this seminar, its topics and participants. It is produced by the MECC Communication and Public Relations Department.

Before the war in Syria, livestock breeders used to find high-quality fodder at reasonable prices in the market. However, the livestock sector, like other sectors, was affected by war and started to face many challenges, the most important of which are high prices of fodder and periodic vaccinations.

This, in turn, has affected the ability of many livestock breeders in poor villages who resort to breeding in order to sell milk and dairy products to support their families. Many livestock breeders will no longer be able to continue their work taking into consideration constant losses resulting from high fodder prices.

An Annual Historical Occasion Between 18 and 25 January, What is its Significance?

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated annually during eight days of daily Prayers worldwide. It is an historic annual ritual which extends between 18 and 25 January in the global Christian calendar, in the Northern part of the world. As for the Southern part, people are in holidays during this period, therefore Churches celebrate the Week of Prayer around Pentecost.

A unity our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for and entrusted us with as he said: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” (John 17:21)

The week of prayer carries with it profound Christian and theological meanings through which Christians move on their annual ecumenical journey. Setting a date for the week itself has a special significance, turning it into a Christian tradition that started in 1908.

With the beginning of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2023, let us unite together in Prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ, carrying in our hearts and deed this year’s theme “Do good; seek justice” (Isaiah 1:17).

You can find in Arabic the Prayer for Christian Unity.

El momento y el contenido de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos constituyen hitos en la historia de la humanidad, ya que se produce tras una feroz guerra que destruyó una parte importante de la civilización humana, durante la cual se adoptaron métodos de matanza y letalidad que se remontan a siglos atrás. La humanidad se ha visto en la necesidad de fortificarse frente a prácticas sociales, políticas, de derechos humanos, así como a prácticas económicas que pueden devolverla al punto cero, donde no hay retorno, en el camino de la aniquilación.

El texto de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos es completo, exhaustivo, suficiente y adecuado, ya que abarca todos los aspectos de la vida, en varios niveles, y recuerda a las personas lo que se puede y no se puede cometer contra ellas.

En el preámbulo, la Declaración habla de «un reconocimiento de la dignidad inherente a todos los miembros de la familia humana» y subraya sus «derechos iguales e inalienables», y considera que la dignidad y los derechos son «el fundamento de la libertad, la justicia y la paz en el mundo».