As we celebrate the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2025, let us unite together in Prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ, on the intention of Christian unity and for peace in the Middle East and the world, carrying this year’s theme “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26).

Below you can find in Arabic the Prayer for Christian Unity.

Week of Prayer Booklet 2025 in Arabic and English

Program of the Celebrations in Lebanon

The Press Conference Launching the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Minbar Al-Kalima – Middle East Council of Churches
Beirut, January 7, 2025

Professor Dr. Michel Abs

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

His Excellency Bishop Youssef Soueif
Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli and Head of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Relations
in the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops – Lebanon

Esteemed attendees, whether in person or remotely, from the media community and beyond,
Esteemed colleagues in the Middle East Council of Churches,

Before we begin our press conference, I would like first to extend best wishes of a glorious Christmas to the churches currently celebrating the Feast of the Nativity, and a blessed Feast of the Epiphany to those celebrating it. May the coming days bring better times for our societies.

I also wish to warmly welcome His Excellency Bishop Youssef Soueif on his first visit to the Council—the home of ecumenical work in the Middle East—and say, “You are truly welcome, Your Excellency, bringing us abundant blessings.”

My address today is titled:

“The Week of Unity and the Inevitable Ecumenical Path on the Road to Social Cohesion.”

For over a century, Christians have gathered to pray for their spiritual and institutional unity. Over time, this practice has grown into a firmly established tradition—a vital part of the culture of collaborative (ecumenical) work, particularly here in the Middle East. This region is the cradle of the Good News, the Incarnation, the Refuge, and the Resurrection—where Christians were first called Christians, and from which the message spread to the entire world.

This year, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes on special significance:

• It coincides with the end of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Middle East Council of Churches, serving as its crowning event.

• It also marks the seventeen-hundredth anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which ratified the Nicene Creed, one of the symbols of Christian unity…

And Celebrates the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” Under the Title “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26)

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) have now issued its online Ecumenical calendar for the month of January 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.

Noting that January includes one of the most important international Ecumenical occasions. It is the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”, which MECC celebrates it in the region and with the world, between 18 and 25 January, every year. Noting that this year the theme of the Week of Prayer is “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26).

Week of Prayer Booklet 2025 in Arabic and English

Program of the Celebrations in Lebanon

This report presents an overview about the press conference held by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), with the blessings and presence of His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif, Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli and President of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL), to launch the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2025 under the title “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26). It was held at “The Platform of the Word” in the Middle East Council of Churches – Beirut.

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in Arabic

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in English

The Theme of the Week of Prayer 2025: “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26)

Video Produced By the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in Arabic

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in English

His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif: We are called in this East to live unity more than ever before, so we must experience it pastorally, socially and humanly

The Secretary General Professor Dr. Michel Abs: The Week of Prayer for Unity is a step on the path of a thousand miles towards social cohesion and civil peace

In a historical step, and with the blessings and presence of His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif, Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli and President of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL), the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) held a press conference to launch the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2025 under the title “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26). It coincides this year with the 1700th Anniversary of the First Christian Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.

The conference, which was held on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in “The Platform of the Word” at the MECC headquarters - Beirut, was attended by Father Tanios Khalil, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at La Sagesse University in Lebanon, and Rapporteur of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL), the Journalist George Maalouli, Director of Mariam TV, and colleagues in the MECC General Secretariat.

After His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif blessed the MECC offices and the Platform of the Word by the Holy Water, the conference began with a speech delivered by the Media Officer at MECC, the Director of the Platform of the Word, and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at MECC, the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, in which she said, “The Churches have advanced concerning the issue of unity regardless of doctrinal differences, based on the fact that when we talk about Theological dialogue, it will be met with a dialogue of love, and this embrace can only be achieved through doctrinal dialogue and love: love of God and love of others.”

On the occasion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025, and as part of his first and historical visit to the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) in the Ras Beirut area, His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif, Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli and President of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL), was the guest of a media interview at the Platform of the Word at the MECC. His Eminence was interviewed by the Journalist Lea Maamary, the Media Officer, the Director of the Platform of the Word, and the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

The episode focused on the Unity Week for the year 2025 and its main slogan “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26), as well as the importance of living love, repentance and self-denial.

What Are the Details?

In a gesture of love and appreciation, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs, offered the Medal of the Fiftieth Year of the MECC Founding to His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif, Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli and President of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL), and Father Tanios Khalil, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at La Sagesse University in Lebanon, and Rapporteur of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work, as a token of respect and thanks for their continuous support.

This presentation took place during the press conference held for the launch of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" 2025 entitled “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26), at the invitation of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at "The Platform of the Word" in MECC - Beirut.

A Meeting with the MECC Team Emphasizes the Importance of Strengthening the Ecumenical Spirit

In a historic station and within the journey of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), His Eminence Archbishop Youssef Soueif, Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli and President of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL), visited the MECC headquarters in Beirut for the first time, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. He was accompanied by Father Tanios Khalil, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at La Sagesse University in Lebanon, and Rapporteur of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Work.

They were received by the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Dr. Michel Abs, and colleagues in the MECC General Secretariat.

Upon his arrival, His Eminence blessed the offices of the General Secretariat and “The Platform of the Word” at MECC by sprinkling the Holy Water, offering his Prayers on the intention of the MECC work and the peace in Lebanon and the region.

A report that sheds light on the launching history of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” and the theme that was chosen for this year.

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in Arabic

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in English

At the Invitation of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and the Episcopal Committee for Ecumencial Work at the Assemblée des Patriarches et Evêques Catholiques du Liban (APECL)

You can click on the following link to participate online via zoom: https://shorturl.at/Ivaoz.

You can find (in Arabic) the program of the Celebrations of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” 2025 in Lebanon.

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in Arabic

Week of Prayer 2025 Booklet in English

“Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26)

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) releases the Arabic version of the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” booklet 2025, under the title “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 26), based on the Biblical Text 11: 17-27.

The booklet presents resources that were prepared by a group of brothers and sisters of the Monastic Community of Bose in Northen Italy. The resources were jointly edited and published by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPCU) and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and were translated into Arabic by the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), as every year.

The title of this year has been chosen to emphasize once again the necessity of adhering to faith, hope, and unity in Prayer, at a time when the world and the Middle East are suffering from many wars, conflicts, crises and divisions amidst a wave of injustice, inequity and hate speech...

Egypt is preparing to launch the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity under the theme “You shall love the Lord your God... and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Hence, the video presents a highlight of the Prayers that will be held in Egypt in celebration of this week.

To gather, despite our diversity, in humility before the Cross of the Redeemer, in a church different from ours, reciting common prayers together, distributing their stages, this is something we cannot call anything other than unity!

Diversity is not a division, differentiation is not a division, uniqueness is not a division, and renewal is not a division. The division occurs when we deny the incarnation of the Word, and when we deny the Redeemer’s wounds and his blood that was shed for the New Testament, and his resurrection with which he gave new life to humankind.

We are one, no matter what they say, no matter our differences, and even our disputes. If we were not one, there would be no disagreement or conflict. If we had not disagreed, we would have been in a state of indifference towards the message of salvation, and this message would not have spread to all corners of the earth and pervaded the globe.

Once you believed in Him, you are one with all the children of the faith, because He said, “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21)

No one should think that unity requires complete dissolution between components, or cloning from one component to another. This is contrary to human nature and the structure of societies. Unity is maintaining aspirations even if the means differ.

For fifty years, the Church of Christ has been meeting, praying, glorifying the Creator, and restoring the Redeemer’s message in all its dimensions, divine and human. Isn't this a unit?

An Ecumenical Prayer Service in the Presence of the Heads of Churches in the Middle East

In the Evangelical Episcopal Anglican Church of All Saints in Beirut

With a lot of hope, the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” ended with a Prayer Service held on Sunday 28 January 2024, hosted by the Evangelical Episcopal Anglican Church of All Saints in Downtown Beirut. It was part of the celebrations organized in Lebanon by the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenical Relations at the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon, in partnership with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). 

MECC invites you to an ecumenical prayer service in celebration of God’s creation. His Beatitude, Patriarch Mar Youssef Absi, head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, will preside over the service.