On the Agenda Are the Latest Harsh Developments Happening in the Region

The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) held its regular meeting in Beirut on its first day, on Friday 17 November 2023, and will be continued on Saturday 18 November 2023. Hence, the Executive Committee discusses the difficult circumstances that the region is witnessing, especially the ongoing war in Gaza. The meeting’ sessions started with a minute of silence for the souls of the martyrs who fell in Gaza, raising Prayers on the intention of peace, ending wars, and healing the wounded. The agenda also includes a follow-up to the spiritual, administrative and financial MECC affairs, especially the preparations taking place for the celebration of the 50-Year Jubilee of the MECC founding.

The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches held its regular meeting in Beirut on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 November 2023. In the video, you can find a highlight about the activities of the first day of this meeting, which began with a minute of silence in honor of the souls of the martyrs of Gaza.

“Our presence in this region is strong and rooted. We reject the language of war and always strive to be advocates of peace”

At a time when the drums of war are growing louder, and the region is witnessing from crises, scourges, wars, persecutions, displacement, destruction and killing, the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches convenes and emphasizes the presence of the Church and its essential role in supporting the people who are suffering and standing by the wounded amidst escalating crises.

This is what was stated by the participants in the meeting of the MECC Executive Committee in Beirut, in which attendees from various countries of the region participated.

They also mentioned the importance of this purposeful and effective meeting, which addressed in its sessions Ecclesiastical and national issues in order to sorrow a glimmer of hope in the heart of humanity marginalized and tired as a result of crises”…

The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) starts its meeting with a minute of silence for the souls of the martyrs who fell in Gaza. Prayers are raised on the intention of peace, ending wars, and healing the wounded.

Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, President of Haigazian University in Lebanon, and MECC President for the Evangelical Family, said:

We meet with hope and faith at a time when our countries are passing through dangers and challenges, especially in Palestine. We witness great sadness and pain…

The United Nations has designated November 16th as the International Day for Tolerance, commemorating it through various activities. Furthermore, the year 1995 was designated as the United Nations Year for Tolerance. Member States have adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and the Plan of Action for the follow-up to the United Nations Year for Tolerance.

Undoubtedly, this Declaration of Principles is a valuable and important document that should be examined and reflected upon due to its values and aspirations, which secure a better future for humanity. However, we also witness an escalation of intolerance, rejection of others, and the resulting hate speech, which threatens to overthrow all the progress humanity has made in terms of openness, love, and yearning to mature and interact with others who differ from us in several ways. This difference does not necessarily lead to conflicts and wars if countries, societies, and peoples manage this diversity well.

In this regard, we must address some of the social ills that require society to be aware of the disasters they carry.

The first concept is stereotyping, which is an idea or image we form of a person or group based on an excessive and sometimes harmful simplification of existing or supposed characteristics of that group. This stereotype may be negative or positive and is based on prejudices that nullify the privacy of individuals.

What Are the Meanings that this Booklet Carries?

The Middle East Council of Churches releases the Arabic version of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” booklet 2024, under the title “You shall love the Lord your God... and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27). What are the meanings and symbols that it presents? The answer is in this video that highlights this booklet and the theme taken for this year.

What Are the Meanings of this Annual Historical Date?

With the preparations for Christmas, Churches in the Middle East and the world are being ready to celebrate an annual and historic Ecumenical station in January, which is the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.” A station that includes eight days of daily Prayers around the world, extending from 18 to 25 January of each year. Hence, we walk together as one united family according to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially since He commanded us “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:21).

Middle East Socioeconomic Overview

Report: October 2023

Undeniably, the Middle East region entered a new phase due to the violent events occurring across occupied Palestine. Atrocities are threatening to expand to an unprecedented scale. Despite the calls for restraint by various international and regional actors, blood is being grotesquely spilt like never before and the intensity of the violence might exacerbate more violence in the rest of the Middle East. It is a pity how the Holy Land, where Jesus Christ was incarnated and lived, is being used to spread evil and a lust for violence. Hopefully in the coming months a ceasefire will be declared to ease the human suffering. However, knowing the key players involved in this violence, war will drag on for quite a while.

Tomorrow begins the International Week of Science and Peace, which was first celebrated in 1986 as part of the celebration of the International Year for Peace.

Following the success of this, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the “International Week of Science and Peace” as an event that is repeated in November of each year and plays the role of catalyst for the promotion of peace.

According to the United Nations page dedicated to this occasion, the role of this week is to encourage academic exchange and sensitize people to the relationship between science and peace, with a focus on cooperation between the applications of science to promote peace as well as on the relationship between progress in science and technology and maintaining peace and security in the world.

As for the year 2023, the activities revolve around the topic of building confidence in science, as the United Nations page dedicated to this topic states that “the role of science in shaping our collective future cannot be activated except when there is confidence in it.” It considers that confidence in science is the gateway to responding to the challenges our world faces. However, according to the same website, building trust between science and society is not an easy endeavor in light of the many questions about scientists’ methodologies and society’s trust in them.

“You shall love the Lord your God... and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27)

The Middle East Council of Churches releases the Arabic version of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” booklet 2024, under the title “You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The title has been chosen at a time when the world and the Middle East are suffering from many wars, conflicts, crises and divisions in light of a wave of injustice, inequity and hate speech...

Hence, the booklet invites us to Pray and work together in mutual love during this difficult period that the world is facing, especially that the love of Christ which unites all Christians is stronger than their divisions and will overcome all violence.

The booklet is centered around the biblical text from Luke 10:25-37, in which Jesus reaffirmed the traditional Jewish teaching from Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might”; and Leviticus 19:18b, “you shall love your neighbour as yourself”.

The Middle East Council of Churches, in cooperation with ABAAD Organization

In an Awareness Session About Breast Cancer

Under the title of "You Deserve Life", and on the occasion of the Pink October Month, the international awareness month of breast cancer, the medical team at the Middle East Council of Churches, Lebanon’s Office, in collaboration with ABAAD organization conducted an awareness activity at the "Martyr Hassan Khaled Educational Center" which is affiliated with Dar El-Fatwa. Participants were 60 women from different nationalities.

The activity included a presentation which highlighted the importance of early detection through self- examination and mammography as well as the types of cancer, and the methods of treatment, which were presented by Dr. Sameer Shleweet who is specializing in Obstetrics & Gynecology and from the MECC team. Moreover, the women participated in some recreational activities that contributed to reducing the daily pressures that may surround them.

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, entitled “Violence against children and crime against childhood are scourges that are out of control”. It was the speech he delivered at the monthly webinar held by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) under the title “Violence Against Children and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 26 October 2023.

The issue also presents details about this webinar which was broadcasted live on the MECC Facebook Page, included three interventions, moderated by Dr. Chawki Attieh, and began with a speech delivered by the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. Participants were specialists, academicians, universities’ students and interested attendees in the topic at hand.

Children, along with the elderly and individuals with special needs, are among the most vulnerable groups. They are susceptible to various forms of discrimination and abuse.

As one of the most defenseless segments of society, children often face violence from those close to them as well as strangers. Our popular culture, while satisfactory in some aspects, provides numerous examples that highlight the vulnerability of children to those around them.

Phrases such as ‘The stick from heaven’ and ‘Where did you get the good behavior? From the hanger above’ (i.e. the stick ) are indicative of this issue. These sayings, often used by parents when entrusting their child to a teacher or tutor, imply that the educator has the liberty to use violence against the child who has worn out his parents’ patience.

Such expressions reflect a disturbing acceptance of violence against children, emphasizing the urgent need for societal change.

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs was the guest of the journalist Lea Adel Maamary in an episode within the program “Moubadarat” (which means “Initiatives”) program on “Voice of Van” Radio, on Thursday 2 November 2023. Hence, you can watch the episode through the video.

During the episode, Dr. Michel Abs highlighted the statement issued by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) concerning the painful events in Gaza, and talked about the MECC role in crises’ response and the initiatives it takes. As well as, he spoke about the concept of human justice stressing the necessity of preserving human dignity and rights.

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

The New Monthly Webinar Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches

Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: Let everyone who practices violence against a child, be it physical or verbal, know that he/ she is violating the will of the Creator and sowing in society a brick of hatred and resentment

The Middle East Council of Churches pursues its series of monthly seminars, and held a new webinar entitled “Violence Against Children and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 26 October 2023, with the participation of specialists, academicians, universities’ students 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 denounced in his opening speech all the scenes of violence in the world in light of the painful events that Gaza is witnessing, and spoke about the types of violence and their effects on children.

The webinar began with a speech by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches, Dr. Michel Abs, in which he condemned the phenomenon of violence against children…

In the new issue of the weekly newsletter Momentum issued by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Communication and Public Relations Department, you can find the weekly message of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs, entitled “Land of Martyrs and Saints”, in which he talked about the caravan of martyrs and saints that will not end; its record is open from eternity and forever. He also mentioned the consecration of the Saints Father Nicolas Khasha and his son, Father Habib Khasha, the Damascenes, in the Orthodox Church of Antioch, and the canonization of Patriarch Estephan Douaihy, in the Syriac Maronite Church. As well as, Dr. Abs talked about the martyrs of the war taking place in the Land of God, Palestine, and particularly Gaza.

Ever since the Master was whipped and carried his cross, bleeding on the road to Calvary, where he was nailed to the wood he carried, stabbed with a spear, lost His life while forgiving His murderers, and then resurrected, this land has been watered with blood.

Since Saint Stephen was stoned in the thirty-sixth year of the Master’s time by those who cannot bear a human being who differs from them in values and belief, he was the protomartyr of Christianity. From Saint Takla meeting her Lord at the hands of misguided killers, through the martyrs of Christianity who died in brutal methods beyond imagination, all the way to the martyrs of the massacres of the twentieth century, from Armenians, Syriacs and Anatolians, through the martyrs of Mount Lebanon during the Great Famine, in addition to the martyrs of Nakba in Palestine, all the way to the massacres of Armenians in Artsakh today, this land continues to be watered with blood.

From our land the embodied Master spread his faith and taught his values to people, giving them an example in proper human social behavior.

From our land sea caravans set out to cross the sea, and land caravans made their rough way, spreading the good news of salvation and the new man in the world.

“Violence Against Children and Human Dignity”

Thursday 26 October 2023 - 7 pm

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is honored to invite you to participate in its new monthly webinar entitled “Violence Against Children and Human Dignity”, on Thursday 26 October 2023, at 7 pm.

You can participate in the webinar via the following Zoom link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84569564004 and live on the MECC Facebook page.

The webinar, which includes three interventions, begins with an opening speech by its moderator Dr. Chawki Attieh, and will be followed by a speech that will be delivered by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs.

The first intervention is entitled “The Children of Gaza are the Target bank for the Occupying Army,” with Lawyer Khaled Kouzmar, General of the international movement of “Defense for Children International.”

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

On the occasion of declaring the Canonization of the Martyred Fathers and Priests Nicolas and his son Habib Khasha of Damascus, His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Orthodox Family, held, with the participation of Their Eminences the Metropolitans, Members of the Holy Synod of Antioch, and Their Eminences the Bishops, a Prayer, on Saturday 21 October 2023, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery in Lebanon.

This Prayer was held in the presence of Priests, Deacons, Monks and Nuns, and believers from various Dioceses of the Antiochian See. The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs also attended the Prayer.

Before the beginning of the Prayer, which was served by the Choir of the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of Balamand, the procession of the Clergy and participating people toured the western courtyard of the Monastery, with hymns played by the Orthodox National Scouts, and arrived to the Monastery’s Church, holding the icon of the two Martyred Priests.