Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs
Renews the Solidarity of MECC with the Palestinian People:
“The online visit to the Holy Land in which we participated with WCC affirms the determination of the Palestinians and the people of the region to remain steadfast and endure”
You can find a video at the end of the text.
Prof. Dr. Michel Abs, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), participated in an online solidarity visit to the Holy Land, between 7 and 8 August 2024, organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and within the framework of a delegation of Ecumenical Partners from around the world, including the Middle East Council of Churches, ACT Alliance, and Caritas International.
During an online media interview made by the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the end of the visit, Prof. Dr. Michel Abs expressed his regret over the postponement of the visit that the World Council of Churches (WCC) was scheduled to hold in-person to the Holy Land between 5 and 9 August, due to the security developments that occurred in the region.
Professor Dr. Abs also pointed out that the virtual solidarity visit was characterized by a lot of love and fraternity, as it carried a message of hope from the wounded Gaza and the Middle East to the whole world. He continued that the visit constituted “a sign of solidarity and an act of love towards the people of the region who have been suffering for a long time from the scourge of wars and conflicts, as well as from the political, security, social and economic crises that have burdened them.”
He added, "this visit was done by people of faith and of love who are coming to bring hope to the people who sometimes are not seeing any more horizon for the future, and to confirm the determination of the Palestinians and the people of the region to remain steadfast and endure."
Prof. Dr. Michel Abs was accompanied on this virtual visit from the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), by Elia Nasrallah, the Media and Communication Officer, and Sub-Deacon Chady Chata, the Social Media Officer.
Noting that this visit was held in support of the brothers and sisters in the Holy Land and Gaza in light of the difficult circumstances they are going through. It aimed to accompany the Member Churches and Ecumenical Partners, listen to their concerns and point of views, and raise their voices at a time when the war is worsening in the region, especially in Palestine.
The delegation participating in the online visit, included His Grace Bishop Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, WCC Moderator, Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, WCC General Secretary, Mr. Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance General Secretary, and Mr. Alistair Dutton, Caritas Internationalis Secretary General, Dr. Audeh Quawas, Member of the WCC Central Committee and Executive Committee, Prof. Dr. Michel Abs, Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and Mr. Erik Lysén, ACT Alliance Moderator.