Professor Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

How beautiful you are, in the glow of your piercing eyes, your welcoming face, and your tireless hands.

How wonderful you are, encompassing humanity’s suffering without moaning or complaint.

How exceptional you are, in your tenderness, your taste, and your embrace of those you know and those you do not.

How patient you are, so resilient, carrying us for months in your womb with joy and faith in the Lord’s gift.

How strong you are, never buckling beneath the treachery of time or the violence of fate.

How forthright you are, paving the way for your children and guiding them toward success.

How honorable you are, placing your own offspring on the path of righteousness, truth, and dignity.

How capable you are, combining your productive work with care for your family.

How courageous you are, defending what is right in the face of tyrannical power, thus embodying moments of true pride.

How gentle and gracious you are, filling the world with joy and delight…

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of March 2025. 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 Middle East Council of Churches and the Christian Muslim Episcopal Committee for Dialogue,

which stems from the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon,

are organizing a symposium on Tuesday, March 25, at 4:00 PM

at Our Lady of the Annunciation Cathedral – Museum – Beirut

How Do Churches Live this Holy Period?

Learn With Us About Their Traditions!

(Part 1)

It is a journey of Prayer, repentance, and self-reflection to purify the soul and draw closer to God. It is the safe path through which Christians head towards the joy of Resurrection, the Feast of Feasts and the Season of Seasons. It is the Season of Easter Lent, considered one of the holiest Christian periods in history. It is a time that renews believers spiritually and psychologically, moving them from the chaos of life to safety, from sin to salvation, and from despair to heavenly joy.

How much we need today to unite in Prayer and celebrate the Feast of Resurrection together! How much we long for the desired unity that crowns the rich diversity of our Churches?

What is special this year is that the Eastern and Western Churches will celebrate the Great Feast together on the same date, coinciding with the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council, which convened in 325 AD in Nicaea and marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Christian faith. In preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christians go through the Lent journey, each according to the doctrine and traditions of their Churches.

On the Occasion of the Anniversary of His Enthronement as Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria

On the occasion of the Yearly Anniversary of the Enthronement of His Beatitude Patriarch Anba Ibrahim Ishak, as Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, and President of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Egypt, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, on behalf of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) family, extends his warmest congratulations to His Beatitude, wishing him continued health and success in his pastoral service as a faithful servant of the Church of Christ.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) also raises its Prayers to God on the intention of His Beatitude, to bless his service, bestow His graces upon him, and grant him the power of the Holy Spirit to lead his Church to the salvation in the name of Jesus Christ, and to remain a model of love and endless giving in the field of the Lord, wishing him many years of goodness, blessing, and holiness.

“The Platform of the Word” at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) presents an episode of the program “And the Family Remains,” entitled “Sexual Harassment.”

The program raises issues related to the family, motherhood, and childhood, in addition to the Church’s view and response to challenges, especially in light of the difficult living conditions the region is passing through.

Continuous Prayers During the Blessed Season of Lent

In an Ecumenical spirit filled with fraternity and love, the family of the General Secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) lives the blessed Season of Lent by working and praying together on the intention of every person on this earth, during the meetings in which colleagues gather weekly to follow up on the developments of their work.

In this context, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, presided over the latest weekly meeting on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut, in the presence of the MECC General Secretariat team from various departments that strive to achieve the desired Ecumenical and humanitarian goals.

Meets with the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs

And Participates in an Episode within the Program "From Misery to Healing" Produced by the Platform of the Word

As part of his participation in an episode within the program "From Misery to Healing" produced by the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Reverend Dr. Hadi Ghantous, the Secretary of the Ecclesial and Spiritual Affairs Committee in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, met with Professor Michel Abs, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

Both parties discussed the latest developments in the work of MECC in light of the circumstances that the region is passing through, in addition to the most prominent challenges surrounding the MECC mission, as well as aspirations to enhance the Ecumenical spirit. They also discussed the importance of the media in spreading the values ​​of love, peace and dialogue, emphasizing the role of the Platform of the Word in conveying the good word.

With Reverend Dr. Hadi Ghantous, the Secretary of the Ecclesial and Spiritual Affairs Committee in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon

An Episode with Reverend Dr. Hadi Ghantous

From the Platform of the Word at MECC

In this episode, Reverend Dr. Hadi Ghantous, the Secretary of the Ecclesial and Spiritual Affairs Committee in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, talks about the meanings of Lent at the Evangelical Church.

"From Misery to Healing" is prepared and presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

Reverend Dr. Hadi Ghantous, the Secretary of the Ecclesial and Spiritual Affairs Committee in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, Talks About the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

An Episode with Father Nehme Saliba, Priest of the Greek Orthodox Parish of Hazmieh - Lebanon, a Researcher in Christian-Muslim relations, and a Spiritual Companion for married couples

From the Platform of the Word at MECC

A program that presents the meanings of Lent, prepared and presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

And the Visit of the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, and an MECC Delegation to Egypt

In an Episode of the Program "Kadaya Sakhina" ("Hot Issues") on Al Keraza TV, with the MECC Associate Secretary General Reverend Dr. Refaat Fikry

With His Eminence Bishop Mar Matthias Charles Mrad, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Beirut and the Head of the Episcopal Committee for Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Lebanon

With the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon His Excellency Monsignor Paolo Borgia

Wednesday 12 March 2025 - 12:30 pm Beirut Time

Watch with us on Télé Lumière – Noursat, an episode within the program "From Misery to Healing", from the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), with His Eminence Bishop Mar Matthias Charles Mrad, the Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Beirut, and the Head of the Episcopal Committee for Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Lebanon.

He was interviewed by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). It will be broadcasted on Wednesday 12 March 2025 at 12:30 pm Beirut Time.

The episode focuses on the meanings and dimensions of Lent, as well as Prayers and celebrations with various Church Families.

Professor Michel Abs

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

When we speak about credibility, we are speaking about a set of values, ideals, standards, and behavioral patterns that a person or an institution must uphold in order to be considered credible.

Those who possess credibility, whether individuals or institutions, have accumulated a considerable record of transparent, honest actions with no ambiguity. These actions were witnessed by others, influenced them, and lodged in their collective memory, granting these individuals or institutions a respectful and trustworthy image in the public consciousness.

The concept of credibility is cumulative and is accompanied by other notions such as transparency, honesty, truthfulness, and harmony with virtuous behavioral values. These are among the good qualities our parents and teachers reiterated to us, extolled by writers and poets, and codified into law. Over time, they came to resemble legendary stories that were passed down to us in proverbs and anecdotes, weaving themselves into our innermost being and shaping our conscience in their likeness.

When I write about credibility, I see before me images from the past that we heard about from our grandparents, when people were bound by their word of honor, would settle their debts by the due date or even earlier, and considered lying a sin. They spoke only the truth; anything else was viewed as reprehensible by both family and society.

Would you believe that a merchant, after declaring bankruptcy and distributing his wealth among creditors, worked to repay his debt in full at 100%, because what remained of his assets covered only half of the debt, and he did not want to depart this world with his reputation tarnished?…