In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant, families in Syria are experiencing today a new emigration wave and facing additional life difficulties as a result of this catastrophe. The earthquake was like a fatal blow after years of war in Syria that cast a shadow over the Syrian people. In fact, thousands of survivors fled to shelters, where they are sleeping on the ground amidst a severe cold wave, or even lived in tents set up in parks and streets.

New Hope for Lebanon, organized by USJ in Beirut

On the occasion of the silver jubilee of the Apostolic Exhortation “New Hope for Lebanon”, signed by Saint Pope John Paul II in Beirut in 1997, and as part of the series of lecture “Faculty’s Tuesday”, the Faculty of Religious Sciences at Saint Joseph University (USJ) organized a lecture entitled “The Apostolic Exhortation, New Hope for Lebanon, Is it still valid today?". It was held on Tuesday 28 February 2023, at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Humanities Campus.

USJ Rector the Jesuit Father Professor Salim Daccache, and His Excellency the Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education Judge Dr. Abbas Halabi, were the speakers in the lecture. The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs also participated alongside intellectual, cultural and educational personalities and professors from the Ministry, the Lebanese University and USJ.

His Beatitude Patriarch John X: We will not sink in fear and darkness because we are the children of light and not the children of darkness

As part of his visit to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo, Alexandretta and Dependencies, with the beginning of Lent, and after the earthquake that hit the area, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox family, was accompanied by the Archdiocese Bishop His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim Maalouli and the Governor of Aleppo Hussein Diab, in a meeting at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Saint Elias. They met representatives of parties, institutions, relief work committees, associations and volunteers who worked to support the affected people by the earthquake disaster.

His Beatitude delivered a speech in which he expressed to the audience love and condolence. He said “It is more blessed to give than receive, and you gave the world a lesson through giving and devotion. The efforts made by each one of you proved that the storm of the harsh earthquake was replaced by the storm of love showed by the archdiocese through solidarity and support, acts of love and service to its people.”

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, which title is “Medical Ethics, the Physician and Society”. It was the speech he delivered at the monthly webinar organized by MECC under the title of “Medical Ethics and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 23 February 2023.

In the issue, the Secretary General Dr. Abs congratulates Reverend Joseph Kassab, member of the MECC Executive Committee, on his re-election as President of the Supreme Synod of the Evangelical Community. He also congratulates the members of the administrative office and the Executive Committee of the Synod, on their election. It was during the general meeting of the General Assembly of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community.

The issue also presents a news about the participation of the Secretary General Dr. Abs in the ordination of Jirair Ghazarian who was granted the title of "Verabadveli", in the Armenian Evangelical Church. It was held at the invitation of The Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), on Sunday 26 February 2023, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church, in Beirut.

Lectionary Selection:  John 3: 1-17

Prayer from Jordan

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for our beautiful country and that we live in the same place where you were baptized, the Jordan River. It is a great privilege that you have honored every Jordanian with. We ask you, Lord, to give our leadership and its representatives the wisdom and perseverance to lead and take the right path toward keeping our country secure and stable. We pray that rain will fall abundantly and fill the dams in Jordan. We place our team at the Middle East Council of Churches here in Jordan, their families, and the most vulnerable people they serve between your merciful hands and love; Lord, offer them warmth during this harsh winter and provide them with enough fuel to stay warm…

Report: March 2nd, 2023

The Middle East Council of Churches is being involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Syria under the name of "Rescue Syria Campaign" through which the Council shall be dealing with the relief efforts in this emergency period and later on with rehabilitation plans in order to help people survive properly and resume a normal life with dignity.

MECC will be publishing a periodical report under the name of "Rescue Syria Update" which will keep you informed about the developments of MECC action as well as the overall situation in a context analysis perspective. 

This intervention was delivered at the Symposium on Medical Ethics and Human Dignity

There is no profession equivalent to the medical profession in terms of the danger it presents in terms of people's health, longevity, and ability to work and produce. Therefore, the doctor occupies a prominent place among the professionals of modern society, and sociology of work research has classified the medical profession in the highest category of professions that enjoy social appreciation, praise and prestige.

Laws provide protection and immunity for the doctor, commensurate with the seriousness of his work as a person concerned with people’s lives and safety. The powers of some of these laws depend on the limits of confidentiality of the profession, which is a confidentiality with relatively wide limits, because it includes the privacy of the patient’s health status, which no one has the right to access except with a legitimate justification. This leads to the fact that the doctor enjoys relatively high freedom in some areas, allowing him great independence in practicing his profession, especially since he is the one who diagnoses, treats and deals with the problems that may result from the effects of treatment.

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

Mohamad Bitar Explains the Difficult Situations He Passed Through with His Family

On 6 February 2023, God gave Mohamad Bitar a new baby in Syria. A moment that is supposed to be one of the most beautiful moments in his life. However, the baby’s birth coincided with the time when the earthquake struck the North of Antioch.

A moment as if it were forever for Mohammad, who describes in the video the difficult conditions he passed through in order to save his newborn and family from among the rubble. Noting that his children are epileptic, and one of his daughters had a seizure while the earthquake occurred.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Attends the Ordination Service

The Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE) granted ordination and the title of "Verabadveli" to one of its pastors, Jirair Ghazarian, in the Armenian Evangelical Church. The ordination was presided over by Reverend Mgrdich Karagoezian, on Sunday 26 February 2023, at the First Armenian Evangelical Church, in Beirut.

Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Evangelical Family participated in the ordination, as well as Pastors and Church Leaders. Attendees were Reverend Dr. Habib Badr, President of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon and MECC Honorary President and Treasurer, and the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, alongside representatives of several Ecumenical organizations and parties.

Manal Bitar Reports the First Moments of Terror

Following the earthquake that hit the North of Antioch, the Syrians witnessed scenes of horror, in every sense of the word… Scenes that will remain forever in their minds. This is in addition to the exacerbation of the tragedy that did not leave them for a day, especially with the journey towards searching for safety that Syrian families lost from the warmth of their homes, which were destroyed and seconds in front of them.

Manal Bitar, one of the survivors of this earthquake who firstly took refuge in the Church, recalls in the video, and with deep sadness, the first moments of the disaster.

MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Congratulates Reverend Joseph Kassab on His Re-election as President of the Supreme Synod

During the general meeting of the General Assembly of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community, which was held at its headquarters in Rabieh, Lebanon, Reverend Joseph Kassab, member of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches, was re-elected as President of the Supreme Synod, in addition to the election of the administrative office and the Executive Committee of the Synod.

On the occasion, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs congratulates Reverend Joseph Kassab, and the members of the administrative office and the Executive Committee of the Synod. He wishes them good health and success in their mission and Church Pastoral care. Dr. Abs also prays that the Lord bless their service and grant them grace and determination in their responsibility amidst the difficult circumstances the region is passing through.

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25: 23).

Around 3 weeks has passed since the devastating earthquake that struck the Northern Antiochian Levant. Syria is still crying out in pain, wounded and sad… Its affected and afflicted people were not even able to restore their lives with dignity after the war destroyed their hopes and dreams.

In moments and due to the earthquake... the Syrians lost their loved ones, and also memories that they are searching for among the ruins of their homes and properties which were destroyed in front of them. Therefore, a new journey started: searching for safety. In fact, Churches were the first refuge for the affected people, in addition to the shelters that received many families.

.The New Monthly Webinar Organized by MECC  

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: what matters the most is that the principles included in the laws and regulations turn into a culture and be integrated in the value system of the medical field, as in any other professional field

The Middle East Council of Churches held its monthly webinar, under the theme of "Medical Ethics and Human Dignity", on Thursday 23 February 2023, with the participation of researchers, specialists, experts and students from various universities and countries. Noting that this webinar was organized within the series of monthly webinars MECC has launched within the “Human Dignity Project” as part of the work of a department that is being developed in MECC under the name of “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”.

The webinar was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook Page and included 3 sessions on the topic at hand. It was moderated by Dr. Laure Abi Khalil, who presented in her opening note an introduction of the human dignity and medical ethics’ concept and meanings.

Report: February 23th, 2023

The Middle East Council of Churches is being involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Syria under the name of "Rescue Syria Campaign" through which the Council shall be dealing with the relief efforts in this emergency period and later on with rehabilitation plans in order to help people survive properly and resume a normal life with dignity.

MECC will be publishing a periodical report under the name of "Rescue Syria Update" which will keep you informed about the developments of MECC action as well as the overall situation in a context analysis perspective. 

It is the same region that had witnessed massacres and displacement, acts of human making about a century ago. Today, it is witnessing massacres and displacement caused by nature.

It is the same scene recuring today one hundred years later.

Cities, villages, and farms are emptied of their inhabitants, who either die or leave.

You find them homeless in their own land, looking for a shelter that will keep them away from the open air and from the cold of winter, as well as seeking a garment that would help cover their bodies exhausted by homelessness and destitution, and food that would merely keep them at mere subsistence level... In short, they are looking for the minimal requirement needed for maintaining human dignity.

Between human-made disasters, and natural disasters, great harm has beset human beings. We are facing groups living in one of the most important regions of the East in terms of thought, culture and faith. Their cities were lighthouses in the field of the human sciences and theology, still shining forth and guiding those who excel in these fields in this day and age.

Reverend Dr. Andrea Zaki

for His Re-election as President of the Protestant Churches in Egypt, and

Reverend Dr. Georges Shaker for His Re-election as Vice President

The Elections Committee of the Presidency of the Protestant Churches in Egypt, announced on Friday 17 February 2023, the election of Reverend Dr. Andrea Zaki as President of the Protestant Churches in Egypt, and Reverend Dr. Georges Shaker as Vice President, for a new term of eight years.

On the occasion, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs sent a letter to the Protestant Churches in Egypt, in which he congratulated Reverend Dr. Andrea Zaki and Reverend Dr. Georges Shaker, for renewing their leadership at the Protestant Churches in Egypt. He also wished them good health and success in their mission and Church Pastoral care.

You can find the full message in Arabic.

The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Participating in the Mass Meets with His Beatitude

And Also with Archimandrite Dr. Jack Khalil

His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Orthodox Family, presided over the Last Judgment Sunday Mass, on Sunday 19 February 2023, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery in Lebanon. The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs participated in the Mass, alongside Human Rights Advocate Karl Abou Mrad.

During the Mass, His Beatitude Patriarch John X delivered a Homily in which he said, "Although Antioch is, in these days, feeling pain and wounded due the earthquake that struck our homes, and caused repercussions on all levels, as well as destruction in many Churches, I say this is the splendor of Antioch. Antioch stands forever and ever, and He is present is in the midst of all what is happening, and it will not be shaken...".

His Beatitude stressed that “the disciples of the Lord were first called Christians in Antioch,” and added, “if Christianity had a cradle, then there is the physical cradle where the Lord was born in Jerusalem, and the intellectual cradle, Antioch, from which the Apostle Paul started his preaching to all nations.”

Spiritual and Psychological Support Sessions in Lebanon for Parishes’ Ministers and their Associates from Various Churches of the Middle East

As part of strengthening the spiritual and psychological accompaniment amidst the difficult living conditions that the region’s people are passing through due to the different deepening crises casting a shadow on them, the Middle East Council of Churches continues to implement the Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling Program. It is organized through various sessions aiming at training Parishes’ ministers to help people overcome the daily challenges with great hope and deep faith.

Hence, and under the title of “Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile” (Mark 6: 31), the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department implemented the second phase of the program, which sessions were dedicated to Parishes’ ministers and their associates from the Middle Eastern countries. It was held with the participation of 28 attendees from different Church Families, between Sunday 12 and Saturday 18 February 2023, at the St. Augustine Center in Kafra region, Lebanon.