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The Middle East Council of Churches General Secretariat Team Prays for the Pastors in Its Weekly Meeting

“Praying and working together” is a motto that the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) General Secretariat team has always embodied in a journey of faith, hope, and joy, aiming to consolidate the Ecumenical spirit and serve every human being with dignity. Hence, the weekly meeting, presided over by the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, with the participation of colleagues from various departments, in person and online, provides a new opportunity for reflection, supplication to the Lord, and exchange of experiences.

The meeting, held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut, began with a reading from the Gospel of John about the call of Peter the Apostle (John 21: 15-19), followed by a Biblical reflection delivered by Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar, the Director of the Theological and Ecumenical Department at MECC. He spoke about the qualities of the Good Shepherd, his care for the sheep, and his vigilance for their safety. He also touched on the enthronement of Pope Leo XIV and the importance of the responsibility he bears in caring for the Catholic Church.

Then, the attendees raised their Prayers for the Pastors, remembering the new Pope and emphasizing life with Christ and serving the Church and humanity with boundless love.

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Christian Unity Is One of Pope Leo XIV's Interests

A Plan of Work Towards a More Peaceful World

Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

“I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family.” With these words, Pope Leo XIV announced the approach of his Pontificate as a program filled with service, love, and fraternity, during the Mass marking the beginning of his Petrine Ministry on Sunday.

"One family," the Supreme Pontiff emphasized, fully aware of the extent of the suffering of the human family today as a result of wars, conflicts, and crises, which he denounced in his meeting with the Representatives of Churches, other Christian Denominations, and Representatives of other Religions. Between "no" and "yes," the Missionary Bishop and Grandson of Migrants called for the need to be free from all ideological or political conditioning.

“No” to war and “yes” to peace, “no” to the arms race and “yes’” to disarmament, “no” to an economy that impoverishes peoples and the Earth and “yes” to integral development. This is what the Pope said to his guests, stressing that the witness of fraternity will inevitably contribute to building a more peaceful world.

While peace has become a dream for many people suffering from woes and tragedies, Christian and human unity has become essential to overcome life's difficulties and challenges. Is there anyone who truly understands the importance and gravity of this issue? This is a question we pose to the concerned world leaders and decision-makers!

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Homily of His Beatitude Patriarch John X At the Divine Liturgy for the Consecration of the Church Our Lady of Joy in Zahle

May 18, 2025

(It was delivered on his behalf by Archimandrite George Yacoub, Abbot of the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand)

The venerable Church of Christ surpasses in glory the upper firmament, not that it surpasses the radiance of visible light, but because it carries the Divine Sun of Justice that does not set.

Its rays shine with the words of the Spirit day and night in a befitting manner.

By these God enlightens the eyes of the soul, saying, “Let there be light.”

He is the Life and Resurrection of all.

Your Eminences,

Dear friends,

I have found no words more eloquent than these, spoken 1,500 years ago at the dedication of the Church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) in Constantinople, to describe this holy church that is being planted today in the heart of Zahle by the right hand of God Most High. It is meant to radiate in splendor over Zahle, Lebanon, the East, and around the globe, saying to the world: We are the children of this East, with all our denominations, planted like olive trees. We are the makers of its history and the farmers who planted its cedars and olives. We are those who planted its cedars and olive trees. We are in this land as sprouts of the Creator of the cedars and the Maker of the olive trees.

We come from the lights of the One who said: “Let there be light.” This is the message of this church, which reflects in the golden domes, the golden hearts of its faithful, and the pure heart of its founder, Bishop Niphon Saikaly. We come from the radiance of its light because it bears the radiance of the Sun of Justice. We come from its joy, which reflects the joy of the myrrh-bearers at the sight of the empty tomb. We come from the Church of Antioch, steeped in history, rooted in the moment, and looking ahead with eyes that put their hopes solely in the Lord of Glory…

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Succession of Ecumenical Generations  

Professor Michel Abs

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

Christ is Risen!

In the year one thousand seven hundred after the Council of Unity, Your disciples, O Lord, have come in great numbers from every corner of the land of your incarnation, bearing witness to their unity and the strong bond that unites them, founded on the salvific faith that saves humanity from evil and sin.

Indeed, we, in the ecumenical body that brings together your Church in the Middle East, have united the faculties that teach your theology into a league that has taken upon itself the mission of uniting your Church in its own way, without erasing the unique diversified manifestations of your Church.

In the Association of Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME), established by the Middle East Council of Churches, which has been a witness to the unity of your Church for over half a century, we are preparing generations inspired by unity in vision and method.
"That they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." (John 17:21)

In Your name we have gathered, and continue to gather, living together a youthful, academic, theological experience, through which we prepare to enter the world of ecumenism, where we are called to work together to spread the faith that has saved humanity.

Through ATIME, future ministers learn how to work together, how to become united in vision and purpose, while each of us maintains the specific characteristics of the Christianity embraced by our civilization or nation. This creates a sense of appreciation for the components of a colleague’s faith and fosters brotherhood in faith.

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