Aleppo, September 6, 2024

In a friendly and fraternal meeting, the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo and Environs received His Eminence Archbishop Mar Boutros Kassis, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, at the head of a delegation that included the MECC Coordinator of Church and Media Relations Journalist Lea Adel Maamary and the Director of the MECC Office in Aleppo Ms. Lamis Makhoul.

The meeting was attended by Father Choukri Touma, Father Reverend Georges Clore, Father Reverend Ephraim Wazir, Malfono Majd Lahdo, the Director of the Archdiocese Relief Office, the Deacons of the Archdiocese, and the Journalist Georges Makdis Antoun.

Firstly, His Eminence welcomed the Secretary General in his home and among his brothers, congratulating him on his re-election for a second term of four years, and praising the MECC role and the prosperity and generosity it has achieved at various levels. He extended a special invitation to the Secretary General to deliver a lecture on cultural topics of interest to the Church and society.

Aleppo, September 6, 2024

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs continued his follow up visit to the city of Aleppo, and visited the Maronite Eparchy of Aleppo, accompanied by the MECC Coordinator of Church and Media Relations Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, and the Director of the MECC Office in Aleppo Ms. Lamis Makhoul.

Afterwards, both sides discussed many issues and files of interest to the Church, Ecumenical, relief and social work in light of the current challenges and crises, in addition to the projects that could be implemented.

Aleppo, September 6, 2024

For the fourth consecutive day, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs continues his follow up visit to the city of Aleppo.

The fourth day began with a visit to the Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Aleppo, in which he was accompanied by the MECC Coordinator of Church and Media Relations Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, and the Director of the MECC Office in Aleppo Ms. Lamis Makhoul.

They were received by the Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo His Eminence Archbishop Boutros Marayati, Father Komidas Dadaghlian, Father Zareh Der Sarkissian, and the Media and Relief Officer in the Archdiocese Mr. Tony Charki.

Following the reception, Archbishop Boutros Marayati delivered a speech in which he welcomed Dr. Michel Abs in his home and Church, congratulating him on his re-election for a new term of four years.

The Minister of Culture Dr. Lubana Mashouh said: “The music that we listened today embodies your love for each other”

Aleppo, September 5, 2024

Today, the Throne Hall in Aleppo Citadel witnessed the common message between Christians and Muslims about loving God and getting closer to Him. Today's evening was a patriotic scene written by the people of Aleppo in the "Divine Love" event that was held within the “Nour Men Halab” ("Light from Aleppo") week, under the patronage of the Ministries of Culture and Tourism and organized by the Aleppo Endowments Directorate and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo, Alexandretta & Dependencies, in the Throne Hall of the Citadel of Aleppo.

This evening was attended by: the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, Alexandretta & Dependencies His Eminence Metropolitan Ephraim Maalouli, the Minister of Culture Dr. Lubana Mashouh, Mr. Hussein Diab, the Governor of Aleppo and Member of the Central Committee of the Arab Socialist Baath Party, Comrade Ahmed Mansour, the Secretary of the Arab Socialist Baath Party Branch in Aleppo, Comrade Louay Chachati, the Secretary of the Arab Socialist Baath Party branch at the University of Aleppo, His Eminence the Mufti of Aleppo Dr. Mahmoud Akam, Dr. Maral Sarkis, the Vice President of the University of Aleppo for Scientific Affairs and Member of the Central Committee of the Arab Socialist Baath Party, Members of the People’s Assembly in Aleppo, a Representative of the Director of Endowments Dr. Rami El Obaid, the Director of Tourism Mrs. Nayla Chahoud, Their Eminenes the Bishops of Aleppo and their representatives, the Fathers Priests, their Eminence Sheikhs and Islamic Religious Scholars, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, and other political, administrative, security, social, educational and media figures, as well as Members of Church councils, institutions and committees, in addition to organizations, associations, charities, and invitees.

Aleppo, September 6, 2024

As part of his official visit to the city of Aleppo, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, accompanied by the MECC Coordinator of Church and Media Relations the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, and the Director of the MECC Office in Aleppo Ms. Lamis Makhoul, visited the Cilicia Private Educational Institution.

They checked out the work progress in the restoration project of the Traditional Arab House of Cilician School, primary section, which is funded by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), under the patronage of His Eminence Bishop Armash Nalbandian, the Armenian Orthodox Bishop of Damascus and Its Environs.

They were received by the President and Members of the Board of Directors of the Cilicia Cultural Association in Aleppo and its educational institution, headed by Mr. Avo Khoshavian.

Homs, September 3, 2024

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs visited His Eminence Archbishop Mor Timotheos Matta Al-Khoury, the Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Homs, Hama, Tartous and Environs, at the Archdiocese Headquarters in Homs.

During the visit, His Eminence the Archbishop and the Secretary General made a tour in the Archdiocese, where they went to the Saint Mary Church of the Holy Belt and its museum, which is being prepared to be launched and inaugurated in a larger way later.

Homs, September 3, 2024

In follow-up to the ongoing Ecumenical and humanitarian work in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, visited His Eminence Metropolitan Gregorios Khoury, Greek Orthodox Bishop of Homs and Its Dependencies, at Archdiocese Headquarters in Homs.

After discussing the deteriorating conditions happening in the Middle East, they talked about the social, humanitarian and developmental situations and called for continuing efforts to support the neediest people on various psychological, material and moral levels. Moreover, they discussed various current issues such as youth, emigration, education, development, and the role of the Church.

Damascus, September 2, 2024

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs headed to the offices of the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development (GOPA-DERED) in Damascus, and which is affiliated to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, where he met with the Director of the Department Archimandrite Meletios Chattahii, as part of his tour in the Syrian Arab Republic.

Firstly, Dr. Abs thanked Archimandrite Chattahi for the ongoing cooperation between the Council and the Department, which its fruitful results are seen in the relief and humanitarian work in order to heal the wounds of the neediest and people and support them on various psychological and material levels. Dr. Abs also expressed his gratitude for the facilities provided by the Department for the Council’s work in order to achieve the desired Ecumenical and humanitarian goals.

Aleppo, September 5, 2024

For the third consecutive day, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs continues his follow up visit to the city of Aleppo, where he visited the Greek Melkite Catholic Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Aleppo, Seleucia and Cyrus His Eminence Archbishop Georges Masri. Dr. Abs was accompanied by the Director of the MECC Office in Aleppo Ms. Lamis Makhoul, and the MECC Coordinator of Church and Media Relations the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary.  

They were received by Archbishop Georges Masri and the General Episcopal Vicar Archimandrite Tony Mkhallali.

Following the reception, His Eminence Archbishop Georges Masri congratulated the Secretary General on the occasion of his re-election for a new term of four years.  

Damascus, September 2, 2024

As part of his tour program in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Dr. Michel Abs, accompanied by Mr. Ghassan Shaheen, the Director of the MECC programs in Syria, visited Reverend Boutros Zaour, the Pastor of the National Evangelical Church of Damascus and Vice President of the Supreme Council of Evangelical Community in Syria and, in Damascus.

During the meeting, the attendees discussed many Church affairs, stressing the importance of the Church’s role in accompanying believers amidst the difficult circumstances they are passing through, especially in the region. They also focused on many Ecumenical topics, emphasizing the need to strengthen relations between various Church Families through building bridges, dialogue, and meeting together. They also talked about issues related to the MECC work and its mission, in addition to the activities of the MECC Member Churches.

1- The Talents

2- To the Second Era of MECC's Journey

A non-technical introduction

The day H.B. Patriarch Youhanna X honored me by nominating me for election, for the duty of ecumenical servant, with the grade of Secretary General, I was fully aware of the responsibility that I have to carry on my shoulders, as I knew quite well the pulse of the MECC, dear to my heart as is the case of everyone who worked in it or dealt with it.

I got acquainted with the MECC in 1980, while writing my first doctoral dissertation on the Syriac churches, when one of its departments provided me with some of the documents and information available to them. Afterwards, they assigned to me to visit the city of Zahle after the bloody events of 1981, and to write a report on its needs following the destruction that befell it. This task was followed by two additional tasks, the first was to write development projects for the Assyrians in Baouchrieh and Hadath, and the second to study the 33 Assyrian villages located on the banks of the Khabur River in the northern Antiochian Levant and write development projects for them.

Accordingly, I was offered to become director of the Emergency Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (ERR) Program in Lebanon, which I managed and supervised the growth from 1982 until 1990. I started with two employees and left it with dozens of programs and projects and more than 125 employees, in addition to several properties that we had acquired during these years. There has been a furious race between the systematic destruction to which Lebanon has been subjected, and the relief and development that we were doing as a committed and competent team. The synergy between the Committee of Churches, the ERR team, and the churches was exemplary and effective, and it yielded fruits that astonished the donor agencies that renewed their confidence year after year. The annual budget of the program at that time reached about five million dollars, between cash aid and in-kind aid, which crowded the seven warehouses that were mostly provided to us by the churches.

Report of the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs During the Past Four Years

The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) held an extraordinary meeting, chaired by the MECC Presidents, to elect a Secretary General of the Council, on Friday 30 August 2024, at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand and Saint John of Damascus Theological Seminary in Lebanon.

During the meeting, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel presented his detailed report for the four past years, which you can check it below. Subsequently, Dr. Michel Abs was unanimously re-elected as Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches for a second four-year term.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of September 2024. 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.

As well as, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) launches during September 2024, the “Season of Creation” activities in the region for the fourth consecutive year through translating the Season’s international guide into Arabic, with this year’s theme “To hope and act with Creation” and its symbol “The firstfruits of hope” based on the Epistle to the Romans 8: 19-25. Noting that the international celebrations of the Season start on September 1, the Feast of Creation, and end on October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of ecology.

With great hope and deep faith, the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) held its extraordinary meeting to elect a Secretary General for the Council, on Friday 30 August 2024, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery for the Greek Orthodox and the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology, in Lebanon, under the chairmanship of the MECC Presidents.

The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) met in an extraordinary meeting to elect a Secretary General for the Council, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery for the Greek Orthodox and the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology, in Lebanon, on Friday 30 August 2024, under the chairmanship of the MECC Presidents. During the meeting, Dr. Michel Abs was unanimously re-elected as MECC Secretary General for a second term of four years. 

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs was the guest of an episode of “Masaa’ Al Kheir” (“Good Evening”) program broadcasted on the ME Sat Egyptian TV Channel, on Saturday 31 August 2024, to talk about his future aspirations after being unanimously re-elected as MECC Secretary General for a second term of four years. 

At the beginning of the episode, the channel presented the greetings delivered on the occasion by His Eminence Bishop Anba Ermia, General Bishop, President of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center and Assistant Secretary General of the Egyptian Family House, to Professor Dr. Michel Abs. 

Video - Interview with Professor Dr. Michel Abs on ME Sat Channel 

After being unanimously re-elected as Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), for a second term of four years, Professor Dr. Michel Abs was the guest of an episode of “Sabah ME” (“Morning ME”) program broadcasted on the ME Sat Egyptian TV channel, on Saturday 31 August 2024. 

30 August 2024 – Balamand, Lebanon 

The Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), was a guest on the ME Sat Egyptian TV Channel, to shed light on the extraordinary meeting of the MECC Executive Committee, which was held under the chairmanship of the MECC Presidents, to elect a Secretary General for the Council, on Friday 31 August 2024, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery for the Greek Orthodox and the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology, in Lebanon. Noting that in the meeting, Professor Dr. Michel Abs was unanimously re-elected as Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), for a second term of four years. 

30 August 2024

The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) held an extraordinary meeting, chaired by the MECC Presidents, to elect a Secretary General for the Council, on Friday 30 August 2024, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery for the Greek Orthodox and the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology, in Lebanon. During the meeting, Professor Dr. Michel Abs was unanimously re-elected as MECC Secretary General for a second term of four years. 

In this context, the LBCI Lebanese TV Channel presents a report about this meeting and its agenda, in addition to the most prominent topics included in its final statement. 

You may watch the report by clicking here.

The Associate Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Rev. Dr. Refaat Fikry, devoted a segment in his program “Kadaya Sakhina” (“Hot Issues”) on Alkeraza Egyptian TV Channel, to shed light on the extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which was held under the chairmanship of its Presidents, on Friday 30 August 2024, at Our Lady of Balamand Patriarchal Monastery for the Greek Orthodox and the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology, in Lebanon. During the meeting, Professor Dr. Michel Abs was unanimously re-elected as MECC Secretary General for a second term of four years. 

Within the context of the episode that you can watch in the video, Rev. Dr. Refaat Fikry talked about the details of the meeting’ sessions, in addition to its agenda and the most prominent topics and issues that were discussed. He also highlighted the final statement issued by the meeting and the most important points that it included.