Beirut 2024 Is Held at the Lebanese Capital in the Presence of the Middle East Council of Churches’ President,
Heads of Churches of the Region and About 10,000 Believers
An Ecumenical Musical Event on the Occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Fiftieth Year of the MECC Founding
Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs: We declare that we are one... Our chanting tonight is risen to heaven, with the power of the Spirit that unites us, and is, in this afflicted region, stronger than the shouts of haters and human killers, and louder than the blast of their bombs
In celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the Fiftieth year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and with the blessings and presence of the Presidents of the Middle East Churches, and the Heads of Churches of the Region, the Ecumenical musical event “Beirut 2024” was held on Saturday 20 January 2024, at the Forum de Beirut. The event constituted a recital performed by an Ecumenical choir that included more than 300 choristers and musicians belonging to all Church families and Lebanese regions. They presented a group of hymns and melodies representing various Liturgical and Church rituals and traditions, emphasizing the spirit of Christian unity and the richness in the diversity of all Churches. The event also included Prayer and reflections recited by the Heads of Churches in the name of all believers, on the intention of unity and peace in the Middle East and the world. The event was prepared by young believers active in their Churches and under the auspices of the Maronite Diocese of Antelias in Lebanon.
The event, which embraced about 10,000 participants, was attended by His Beatitude Patriarch John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and MECC President for the Orthodox Family, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE), President of Haigazian University in Lebanon and MECC President for the Evangelical Family, His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and MECC President for the Catholic Family, His Beatitude Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, represented by His Eminence Archbishop Paul Sayah, the Patriarchal Vicar, His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church and MECC Honorary President, His Beatitude Patriarch Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan, Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and MECC Honorary President, His Beatitude Patriarch Youssef Al-Absi, Greek Melkite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and MECC Honorary President, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, Holy See of Cilicia, and MECC Honorary President, represented by His Eminence Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian.
Attendees were also from many countries of the Middle East, Bishops from various Church families, Apostolic and educational associations, Priests, Nuns, Monks and Seminarians, as well as the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs, the MECC Associate Secretaries General, members of its Executive Committee and its team work. In addition, participants were politicians and officials, representatives of concerned organizations and associations, youth from various Church youth movements, and believers who wanted to pray together.
The event, which was broadcasted live on the Lebanese MTV channel and other Christian channels, was inaugurated by its presenter the journalist Ricardo Karam. The event distinguished by the participation of Church leaders in Prayer and hymns with the attendees. During the recital, Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian recited the Prayer for Christian unity that has been desired for decades. His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II called for Prayer so that we may all be one as the Father is one, and recited the Priestly Prayer of Jesus for unity based on the Biblical text John 17: 21-26. His Beatitude Patriarch John X delivered the “Trinity Magnificats”, emphasizing the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. As well as, His Eminence Archbishop Antoine Bou Najem, Maronite Archbishop of Antelias, recited the “Praise to the Glory of God according to Saint Paul the Apostle”. Then, the Heads of the Churches recited together the Prayer for the consecration of the city, on the intention peace, truth and justice in the whole world.
At the opening of the event, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs delivered a speech entitled “Talking to the Lord for humankind,” in which he stressed Christian unity and said, “From all regions of Lebanon … we have come to You, as well as from neighboring countries, declaring that we are one, because the Lord is one, and our pledge of allegiance is one, and that our faith and love are for the service of human beings, every human being, any human being, in order to have a better life, as you wanted with your message of salvation to humankind.”
Moreover, Dr. Abs talked about the Fiftieth year of the Founding of the Middle East Council of Churches and the program of activities that will be implemented for the occasion, which begins with the Ecumenical Musical Event “Beirut 2024”. He mentioned that “our ecumenical spiritual evening tonight is the work of the Holy Spirit, embodied through aiming human means, through believers, who worked with determination and persistence, in order to achieve this exemplary Ecumenical musical event. An event that brings together the one Church of Christ, in praise and glorification of the Lord, the Creator of creation, expressing in multiple languages and cultures the cultural diversity and richness that characterize the Middle East, transforming differences into integration and divergences into solidarity.”
Dr. Abs continued, “No one is surprised that this blessed choir speaks with multiple languages, for it is filled with the Holy Spirit who gave it to speak in this way, as happened on the day of Pentecost. Our chanting tonight will rise to heaven, with the power of the Spirit that unites us, and it will be, in this afflicted region, stronger than the shouts of haters and human killers, and louder than the blast of their bombs.”
It is worth mentioning that this event is an Ecumenical activity par excellence, which complements and even completes the other efforts included in the Ecumenical activities, such as spiritual meetings, theological dialogues, and participation in various types of service. Noting that this initiative was launched from the belief that the Holy Spirit, which God pours into every Church, His work is particularly evident in the melodies and hymns that believers sing together in liturgical celebrations, which throughout the ages have formed musical traditions that are diverse in their richness and rich in their diversity.