A Coordination Meeting Between the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches

On the occasion of the 1700th Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, the World Council of Churches (WCC) continues its preparations for organizing the WCC Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, which will be held around the theme “Where Now for Visible Unity?”, between 24 and 28 October 2025, at the Papal Logos Center in Wadi El Natroun - Egypt.

In this context, the World Council of Churches (WCC) held an online coordination meeting with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) to follow up on preparations for this conference, which will bring together international Church Leaders and Theologians to discuss topics related to faith and unity through many Theological, Ecumenical, and cultural activities and events.

The meeting was attended by the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, the MECC Associate Secretary General Mrs. Seta Hadeshian, the Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department Fr. Antoine Al-Ahmar, and the Executive and Administrative Assistant to the Secretary General Mrs. Caroline Haddad.

Attendees were also the Director of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order Dr. Andrej Jeftić, and WCC Programme Executive for the Middle East Mrs. Carla Khijoyan.

Humanity Is in Danger!

Exclusive: Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

In a world immersed in fleeting glories, hate speech, violence, hostility, and discrimination... amidst all the noise surrounding humanity due to endless wars, conflicts, and crises, the efforts to achieve change remain unclear in the face of the tragedies witnessed around the world. Human rights have been stripped away, and human dignity is lost!

Where is the human conscience today? When will it wake up from its coma? And is there anyone listening to the pain and suffering of humanity?

The will to live is the strongest! This is what many personalities, decision-makers, and human rights parties say... But is the will to live truly the strongest in the absence of laws and legislation that protect humans and ensure their future?

Many questions may sound the alarm today! Humanity is in dire need of a ray of hope towards the safe haven... a place where the values of love, dialogue, and peace are sowed under mutual respect among all brothers and sisters on the planet earth.

Hence, the International Day of Conscience, which the United Nations has recognized on its international calendar on April 5th of each year, comes as a reminder of the need to develop efforts to achieve tolerance and peace worldwide, to affirm the respect for human rights in all areas, and to enhance sustainable development.

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

Professor Michel Abs

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

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the machine age, humanity entered a new era characterized by liberating production capacity from the limitations of artisanal output to the vastness of mass production. This was made possible by machines supplying producers with an ever-increasing quantity of products, thereby meeting a larger portion of human needs and raising profit margins, which led to the accumulation of capital and the emergence of large-scale production corporations.

On the level of production, agricultural, industrial, and even commercial, technology contributed to improved marketing and distribution through low-cost products, and therefore competitive pricing, in an increasingly cutthroat market.

In other aspects of human life, housing, food, transportation, entertainment, technology played a vital role in advancing these domains.

The most sensitive area remains the medical field, where diagnostics and treatments have progressed beyond imagination, extending lifespans and making healthcare faster, more effective, and less painful than in the past.

If we delve deeper into the effects of technological advancement, we find countless areas where technology brought about positive changes that people welcomed, and even demanded.

However, the field that witnessed the most drastic technical advancement, to the point that it changed the face of humanity and caused cultural, social, psychological, and economic transformations, is information technology and its associated fields.

The computer, this small device - which began as a massive machine, and later the mobile phone, even smaller and sometimes more powerful than the computer, have fundamentally and irreversibly transformed humanity…

The hardships of time follow neither logic nor order, often pushing people into sorrow and despair.

Our dear colleague, Lea Adel Maamary, the Coordinator of the Church Relations and Media at the MECC, and an active media professional in service of both God and humanity for over a decade and a half, who never backs down from any challenge, no matter how difficult, has now lost her life partner, the successful and compassionate dentist, Dr. Michel Joseph Maamary, known for his generosity in treating the neediest people.

Dr. Michel Maamary was raised by parents with much humanity. His father served as a Priest for villages in Akkar under the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, known for his dedication to social and humanitarian service. Following in his father's footsteps, Michel grew into a remarkable man. Tragically, his brother, Boulos, a paramedic with the Lebanese Red Cross, was martyred while rescuing the wounded people during one of Lebanon’s many wars. He is considered as a martyr of the Lebanese Red Cross which center in Akkar carries his name.

Lea Adel Maamary, our strong and resilient colleague, vowed during her husband's funeral yesterday that their children, Boulos and Michella, are in safe hands. Under the guidance of their capable mother and the embrace of their loving family, they will continue the academic and humanitarian journey of this blessed family.

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which stood alongside Lea and her family during their time of grief, extends its deepest condolences for this painful and unexpected loss. The MECC tells them that they are blessed by God for the deeds of their parents and for the path they will follow in their footsteps.

Christ is risen!

Entitled "Witnesses and Martyrs in Anatolia"

He departs from us in body, the one who carried the See of Saint Mark on his shoulders and in his heart, after a life full of achievements and moments of truth during hard times,

He departs from us in body, leaving behind a legacy of knowledge, leadership, wisdom, and care,

He departs from us in body, the one who has been, in times of distress, a cornerstone, a support, and a reference,

Here is His Grace Archbishop Pachomius, Metropolitan of Beheira, Matrouh, and the Five Western Cities, entering into the Kingdom of the Lord, carrying his unparalleled talents,

This faithful servant was entrusted with much from the beginning, becoming a reference for his Church and community,

This Leader, filled with the spirit of Christ, Who resurrected on the third day, enters today into the world of eternity. His Church and the entire world bid him farewell, saying, May you be blessed for what your hands have done, O fruitful one,

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which shares with the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate the sorrow of separation, says to the venerable Archbishop Pachomius, rest in peace, O man of a great heart, for the See of Saint Mark, which you have faithfully guarded and carried with great care, is in safe hands. MECC says to the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, Christ is Risen!

Eid Al Fitr Mubarak

Professor Michel Abs

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

I browse the icons, read them attentively, gaze at the paintings, examine the sculptures, trying to see how all these people have interpreted your face, Mary!
I try to imagine your features, your expressions, the light in your eyes, the joy of the Annunciation, the pain of the Crucifixion and separation. I find myself projecting my feelings onto you, hoping to understand you, O Queen of mountains and seas. Yet I realize I cannot confine your spirit and the beauty of your soul within any human form of expression, neither writing, nor painting, nor sculpture, nor even singing or music.

What kind of being are you, chosen by the Lord as the temple of Incarnation?
How noble are you, who carried the Savior in your womb?
How patient are you, who witnessed the Savior hanging on the cross, bleeding water and blood, pierced by a spear, given bitter drink, calling out to the mighty God, Creator of the universe, and forgiving those who shed His blood on the land of Incarnation, the Antiochian Levant, where the Gospel began to spread moments later!

How great are you, the one whom all creation agrees to revere and honor above all women!
What a symbol you are, what a message, what a lesson you preach to humanity?

Your face, Mary, I see it in the faces of the tormented women of the world, victims of gender-based violence, victims of relentless patriarchy, victims of human trafficking, victims of modern slavery, victims of ignorance, victims of suppression, repression, and silencing.

Your face, Mary, is worthy of divine light bestowed by the Eternal King. It is worthy of a smile, worthy of joy, radiating endless tenderness, love, and mercy.

Your face, Mary, I turn to in hardship. From it I draw resolve and unshakable patience. From it I draw a vision that sees beyond worldly possessions and perishable things.

Your face, Mary, is part of a whole. It is a mirror of your soul, a reflection of your willpower and endurance. And it is also, despite all it bears, a source of peaceful light flowing from your serene, calm, and peaceful spirit…

Preparations for an International Congress on Interfaith Dialogue

What Are the Details?

The Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Professor Michel Abs, received His Excellency the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Lebanon Mr. Rasul Jumaly, and Mr. Yerjan Kalekenov, Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Lebanon, on Friday, March 28, 2025, at the MECC headquarters in Beirut.

This visit came after the invitation received by the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs from the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Head of the Secretariat of the Congress of World and Traditional Religions Mr. Mäulen Äşimbaev, to participate in the VIII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which will be held under the theme "Dialogue of Religions: Synergy for the Future," between 17 and 18 September in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.

During the meeting at MECC, Ambassador Rasul Jumaly renewed his invitation to the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs to participate in the Congress, asking him to deliver many lectures on managing diversity in multi-religious, multi-ethnic, and multi-ethnic societies.

In his turn, Professor Abs thanked the Ambassador, commending the importance of the Congress in promoting dialogue, convergence, and building bridges between the various components of society. He also addressed the goals of the Middle East Council of Churches in bridging distances and enhancing love and peace among all. Professor Abs also highlighted the MECC work and its most prominent programs and activities.

Norwegian Church Aid

Enhancing Cooperation in Humanitarian Service

A delegation from the international humanitarian organization Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), which is partner organization with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), visited the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, on Friday, March 28, 2025, at the Council's General Secretariat offices in Beirut. The meeting was attended by the Director of the Lebanon’s Office in the Diakonia Department Ms. Nina Hallak.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Secretary General Professor Michel Abs explained the current circumstances that Lebanon and the region are passing through, speaking about the difficult economic and social crises that pose numerous challenges and hinder the normal activity in many areas.

A Webinar Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches

Secretary General Professor Michel Abs: While we find artificial intelligence a means of improving human dignity in some areas, its negative effects are not insignificant, and will gradually become apparent as this new logic sweeps across all areas of life

As part of the “Dialogue, Human Dignity and Social Cohesion” program, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) organized a new webinar entitled "Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence", on Thursday, March 27, 2025, with the participation of specialists, academicians, and interested attendees in the topic at hand.

The symposium, which was broadcasted live on the MECC platform, included two interventions, moderated by Professor Laure Abi Khalil, the Coordinator of the “Dialogue, Human Dignity and Social Cohesion” program, who, in her opening speech, highlighted the concept of artificial intelligence and the concerns it poses to the issue of justice and human dignity, which are now facing numerous threats.

The symposium began with a speech delivered by the MECC Secretary General Professor Michel Abs, entitled "Technology, This Enemy Friend." He said, "We must first acknowledge that the elitism produced by artificial intelligence separates people into those who are part of this cultural movement and those who are not, and separates a single society into those who are integrated into this new path and those who are not. This creates a rift and marginalization at both the international and local levels, and separates people as it separates the children of a single society. This is considered the greatest challenge to equal opportunities, which are praised by modern societies that advocate for justice and human rights"…

MECC Media Highlights a Humanitarian Initiative with a Life Testimony

During the Blessed Season of Lent, the Media of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is preparing to produce a special report highlighting a humanitarian initiative launched by a young Lebanese man, owner of a small restaurant in Beirut, to help the neediest people, especially in light of the difficult circumstances that the country is experiencing.

This initiative came after the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) offered him support and assistance to the opening of his small business in the Dekwaneh area, particularly amidst the repercussions of the war in Lebanon.

Noting that MECC continued its field relief work to support those affected by this war at various levels.

Watch the report and the details of the initiative soon on the MECC platform!

On Mariam TV

Including Reports Produced by MECC

The Bulletin Is Prepared and Presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at MECC

Middle East Socioeconomic Overview

Report: March 2025

During this month, the war in Gaza restarted and accordingly, tension in the region reignited. Now, rumors of further escalation in the coming months are impacting the general economic wellbeing of the region and investors are a bit cautious whether to proceed further or not. Analysts warn that the region is heading toward a boiling point in which either regional powers will clash heavily or one will bend to the will of the other through compromise or diplomacy. Either way, we are nearing a critical period in global politics, and the period ahead will probably have all the answers.

His Grace Anba Antonios

In this episode, His Grace Anba Antonios, Metropolitan of Jerusalem and the Near East for the Coptic Orthodox Church, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) for the Eastern Orthodox Family, talks about the meanings of Lent.

"From Misery to Healing" program is prepared and presented by the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

A Special Episode on the Occasion of the Sixth Anniversary of Suboro TV with the Journalist Lea Adel Maamary, the Media Officer, the Coordinator of the Church and Media Relations, and the Director of the Platform of the Word at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)