“Since our Churches belong to the Antiochian heritage, they must imitate their Mother Church: Adopting the culture of Arab societies, to become a local Church missionary to the Arab people”

In the context of her visits to the Leaders of the Members Churches in The Middle East Council of Churches, MECC Secretary General Dr. Souraya Bechealany, together with Associate Secretary General Michael Spirou, MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department Fr. Gaby Hachem, and Policies and Communication Advisor Mr. Ziad El Sayegh, visited His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus. 

MECC distribution team helped 2823 families who returned to Dara’a Al Balad area in order to face one of the major challenges during the harsh winter season. The team distributed 5164 adult coats and 6400 winter clothing kits including shoes to children whose ages ranged between 5 to 18 years old.

MECC WASH team conducted rehabilitation activities of WASH facilities in Al Asieh and Al Hayat Schools in Damascus and Al Iman Private School in Aleppo aiming at securing a healthy and hygienic environment for students.

With the aim of supporting persons with disabilities to enter the labor market, the Middle East Council of Churches organized two vocational trainings in mobile maintenance and Cosmetology in Al Haffeh village in Rural Lattakia.

The Middle East Council of Churches congratulates the United Arab Emirates for its leading role in reinforcing the culture of tolerance and peace. The Human Fraternity’s Document, signed in Abu Dhabi by His Holiness Pope Francis, the Pope of Peace, and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Imam of Moderation, is a new Chart for humanity,

The Middle East Council of Churches organized a one-day exhibition in Al-Hafah village in the countryside of Latakia and Fayrouza village in the countryside of Homs to display products prepared by women who participated in a program in which the Council offered training courses on cooking, embroidery and crocheting for two months.

The Executive Committee of MECC held its third meeting at the Patriarchal See of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, in Atchane – Bikfaya, Lebanon, 22-23 January 2019. 

“The MECC is not simply an Ecumenical Organization and an Ecumenical NGO, it rather encompasses all the Churches in the Middle East, a Council for them all together”. This was the message of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Cilicia, in support of the ecumenical mission of the Middle East Council of Churches to build bridges among the Churches and promote their unity.

In preparation for the executive Board meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches on the 22nd January in Atchane Beirut, MECC Secretary General Dr. Souraya Bechealany met with several Church leaders.

In the context of her official visits to the Church leaders in the Middle East, MECC Secretary General Dr. Souraya Bechealany met His Beatitude Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan, the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church in the Beirut Patriarchal See.

Under the title “Give us to bear, fruit of the Holy Spirit” and in context with MECC’s visit to the Church leaders of the Middle East, the General Secretary Dr. Souraya Bechealany underwent a series of visitations to Egyptian Church leaders from the 15th to 18th of December.

Unless the Oriental Churches meet and convey on mutual bases to combine efforts against the threatening challenges in the Levant, the remaining Christians of the East will have to face a real existential danger.

MECC Secretary General Dr Souraya Bechealany met His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church as the final stop of her visits to the Heads of the Churches in Syria at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Damascus.

The General Secretary of the Council of Churches of the Middle East presented the council’s situation with His Beatitude John X Yaziji, the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East for the Greek Orthodox, in a protocol visit at the headquarters of the Patriarchate in Damascus.

Dr. Souraya Bachealani, the General Secretary of the MECC, visited His Beatitude Yousef al Absi, the Patriarch of Antioch, and all the Eastern Melkite Catholic church, at the headquarters of the Patriarchate in Damascus.

This is a project that includes psychosocial group counseling sessions for women and children, knitting sessions for women and community GBV awareness sessions for men and women.

Due to livelihoods depletion, increase of medicine prices; people in Syria are finding it more difficult to cover their health needs. Cancer patients are struggling to cover their treatment costs which, in many cases may either have their cancer treatment interrupted or even stopped.

This is a program that teaches Lebanese women living in the Akaar region how to harvest, prepare, and preserve various types of fruits, vegetables, and traditional Lebanese foods.