Three months has passed since the earthquake that hit the North of the Antiochian Levant, and the survivors in Syria are still suffering from this disaster’s repercussions on various levels, as their wounds have not yet healed.

From its end, the Middle East Council of Churches continues its endeavors to support the affected people in order to alleviate the impact of this tragedy by providing a new batch of in-kind food and health aid assistance, as you can find in the video.

Report: May 27th, 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. 

The New Monthly Webinar Organized by MECC

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: We hope that the economic, social and cultural transformations will accumulate in order to form, one day, enough pressure to create a society that follows new rules

The Middle East Council of Churches continues its series of monthly seminars, and held a new webinar on the theme of "Family Planning and Human Dignity", on Thursday 25 May 2023, with the participation of specialists, academicians, and interested attendees in the topic at hand. Noting that this webinar comes within the framework of the “Human Dignity Project” - “Dialogue and Social Cohesion-Social Capital Rehabilitation”, which MECC is implementing consecutively.

The webinar, which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook Page, included three interventions, moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh, who highlighted in his opening speech the concept of family planning and its goals, as well as the issue of human dignity in the context of the webinar’s topic.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, MECC strongly condemns the armed conflicts taking place in the country and affecting the Sudanese brothers and sisters, and also denounces the painful attacks on the Churches and places of worships in the country, which some of them were converted into military barracks. As for the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, it is entitled “An Open Letter to the Incarnate Lord, Jesus Christ”, in which he condemned the lack of humanness in our societies which are mired in problems and crises, instead of adhering to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the convening of the MECC 12th General Assembly under the title “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27) between 16 and 20 May 2022, at the Papal Logos Center in Wadi El Natrun in Egypt, with the generous hospitality of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, and the support of Reverend Dr. Andrea Zaki, President of the Evangelical Churches in Egypt and its institutions, the issue presents a video highlighting some footages and fraternal moments from this historic Ecumenical event.

His Eminence Bishop Dr. Munib Younan, MECC Honorary President, Will Be Awarded the Title of Doctor Honoris Causa

In the spring, the Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and the Faculty of Law will celebrate the conferral of degrees. The Faculty of Philosoply will hold its hundredth conferment ceremony.

As per tradition, the title of doctor honoris causa, the University’s highest recognition, will be awarded, in connection with the conferment ceremonies, to several individuals. This year, a total of 30 distinguished individuals from around the world will be conferred as honorary doctors.

We have begun the third millennium of Your Incarnation, and the world is as it is. You are familiar with it as You came for it, O Master.

Humanity is in steady decline, as if it is in a backward-time slow race, steadily retreating towards states of primitiveness.

This world, in which Your Kingdom has never been established, denies itself when it denies Your values ​​and teachings.

All that which You had predicted, Lord Incarnate, we live today.

All the iniquities of the world, the humankind has displayed publicly, without shame or ignominy, boasting about them, driving people into a race to commit bad deeds.

With the renewal of violent clashes and air strikes in Sudan, the Middle East Council of Churches strongly condemns the armed conflicts taking place in the country and affecting the Sudanese brothers and sisters. MECC also denounces the painful attacks on the Churches and places of worships, which some of them were converted into military barracks. These acts are dangerous, constitute a threat to human dignity, and a violation to the freedom of religion and human rights for people to live in peace and security.

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

An Interview with the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs by the World Council of Churches Website

In an interview by the Communication Department of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Prof. Dr Michel E. Abs, Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), reflects on how challenging daily lives can be in the Middle East, response to the earthquake in Syria and Türkiye, and plans to commemorate 50 years of the MECC.

"Family Planning and Human Dignity"

Thursday 25 May 2023 - 7:00 pm

The Middle East Council of Churches has the honor to invite you to participate in its new monthly webinar, entitled "Family Planning and Human Dignity", on Thursday 25 May, 2023, at 7:00 pm.

You can participate in the webinar via the following Zoom link https://shorturl.at/gkrMY, and live on the MECC Facebook page.

The webinar, which includes three interventions, will start with an opening speech by its moderator Dr. Chawki Attieh, which will be followed with a speech by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs.

“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27) was the title of the twelfth General Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches, which was held between 16 and 20 May 2022, at the Papal Logos Center in Wadi El Natrun in Egypt, with the generous hospitality of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, and the support of Reverend Dr. Andrea Zaki, President of the Evangelical Churches in Egypt and its institutions. The Assembly was an Ecumenical gathering that brought a lot of hope to the people of the wounded Middle East... It was also a historic Ecclesiastical event that emphasized the importance of the Christian presence and role in the region.

and United Church of Christ

Unite in Prayer with the Earthquake Survivors in Syria

In the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the North of the Antiochian Levant, Syria is facing a new catastrophe that burdened its people whose wounds had not yet healed due to the tragic repercussions of the war that cast a shadow over the country.

Therefore, Syria witnessed a great international solidarity, as humanitarian aids were sent from around the world in order to support the afflicted and affected people who had lost their hope in their journey to find a place of safety. In addition, the international human family united with them in Prayer and supplication to the Lord Jesus Christ asking Him to grant them strength and determination to overcome their affliction with deep faith and great hope.

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

On the occasion of the 175th Jubilee of the foundation of the National Evangelical Church in Beirut (NECB), a Worship Service was held on Sunday morning, 14 May 2023, in the Church. It was presided by Reverend Dr. Habib Badr, President of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon, and MECC Honorary President. The Right Reverend Ernst Gohl, Bishop of the Evangelical Church of Württemberg, participated in the Service, along with a Church delegation from Germany, and preached the Sermon.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches, Communication and Public Relations Department, the MECC Secretary General mourns passing of His Eminence Bishop Anba Kyrillos William, Honorary Bishop of the Coptic Catholic Diocese of Assiut, and member of the Middle East Council of Churches’ Executive Committee, in a letter of condolence he addressed it to His Beatitude Patriarch Anba Ibrahim Isaac, Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, and Head of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Egypt. As for the weekly message of Dr. Abs, it is entitled “The Challenges of Religion in Relation to Authority”. Dr. Abs highlighted these challenges and talked about the methods of immunization that can enable religion to assume the social responsibilities entrusted to it.

When discussing the relationship between religion and authority throughout history, the first thing that comes to mind is the saying of the incarnate Master: "It is written: My house shall be called a house of prayer, and you have made it a den of thieves."

How does this house of prayer metaphorically transform into a den of thieves in certain places and times? By what enchanting magic does religion shift from being a means of salvation to serving the interests of ruling groups, distracting people from their vital concerns?

Religion is not the only reality that was objectivized by human beings; however, it is the most easily accessible tool for mobilizing people quickly, without holding the user accountable. Yet, as soon as the forces of the unseen and the dimensions of the beyond come into play, accountability becomes a magical word that underlies institutions, democracy, and progress.

The challenge at hand is to prevent religion from deviating from its essential path under the pressure of political and economic interests that have historically formed alliances. The only solution is immunization!

Video – The MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs Talks About Christian unity and the MECC Mission on Télé Lumière and Noursat

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs was the guest of the journalist George Rashed, in an episode entitled “One Holy Universal Church” within the program “Between Yesterday and Today”, broadcasted on Télé Lumière and Noursat, on Sunday 7 May 2023.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs mourns His Eminence Bishop Anba Kyrillos William, Honorary Bishop of the Coptic Catholic Diocese of Assiut, and member of the Middle East Council of Churches’ Executive Committee, in a letter of condolence he addressed it to His Beatitude Patriarch Anba Ibrahim Isaac, Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, and Head of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Egypt.

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 “Between the chair of Mark and the chair of Peter, A promise of love for humanity”. Dr. Abs talked about the meeting of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, with His Holiness Pope Francis, in the Vatican, on Wednesday 10 May 2023. The visit aims to celebrate together the 50 years since the return of relations between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, after 15 centuries after the Council of Chalcedon in 451, and also to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the declaration of the Day of Brotherly Love called for by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II during his visit to the Vatican in 2013.

A promise of love for humanity

The visit of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, to His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, bears many meanings and promises.

It comes on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the visit of the Late, Pope Shenouda III, to the Vatican, and between the two visits there was sustained communication, strengthened relations, and love rooted within the one faith, within the redemptive time, and in one Holy, Apostolic Church on which the gates of Hell will not prevail as The Master told us.

This visit means, first of all, that there is no turning back in the relations between churches, between institutions and people with each other, but rather a deepening of partnership and a relentless march towards unity that must be achieved no matter how long it takes.

Towards Strengthening the Partnership Between Both Sides

Within the framework of strengthening the partnership between Church of Sweden which is a member in ACT Alliance, and the Middle East Council of Churches, a delegation from the Church visited the offices of the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut, on Monday 8 May 2023. The delegation included Mrs. Anna Levine, Church of Sweden Programs Manager for the Middle East Unit, Mrs. Jessica Lendbergdik, Regional Representative of ACT Church of Sweden on the Development Programs for the Middle East and North Africa, and Mrs. Rania Salameh, Regional Representative of ACT Church of Sweden on the Humanitarian Programs for the Middle East and North Africa.