The Middle East Council of Churches
Executive Committee Meeting
Final Statement

 

The Executive Committee of the Middle East Council of Churches held its periodic meeting from 29 September to 2 October, 2008 at the Kiko Convent in Cyprus.  The meeting was hosted by H.B. Chrisostomos II, Archbishop for the Orthodox Church in Cyprus.  The Head of the Kiko Monastery, H.E. Bishop Nicoforos spared no trouble to provide leisure and brotherly hospitality for the participants in the meeting

The meeting was presided by the Presidents of the Council, Catholicos Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia for the Armenian Apostolic Church; and Patriarch Theophilos III, Patriach of Jerusalem and the Holy Land for the Greek Orthodox Church; and Bishop Boulos Matar, Archbishop of Beirut for the Maronite Church.  Rev. Dr.  Safwat El Bayadi, Head of the Evangelical Congregation in Egypt apologized for not attending.

After a welcoming address by the hosting Church of Cyprus, the Council's General Secretary, Mr. Guirgis Saleh, presented his report which was appreciated by the Executive Committee.  Then the Committee proceeded to study the present situation of the Council's various divisions, departments and programs; it emphasized the central role of the Unit on Faith and Unity in view of the fact that it was the basis for establishing the Council and for consolidation of the ecumenical spirit among the Churches and the Council's programs.

The Committee stressed the importance of the Unit on Diakonia (the Service) and Social Justice for service to the migrants and refugees, regardless of their religious affiliation because service to the marginalized and the unjustly treated is one of Church unity objectives.

The Committee confirmed that the role of the Unit on Education and Leadership Development in the Council is completed with the work done in the various Churches at the level of Christian education and care given to the issues of the young, the woman and the family.

The Committee considered also that the Council's commitment to the Christian-Muslim dialogue is a normal matter given that communication and interaction with the Muslims is an integral part of the Christians' daily life and of their presence in our diversified societies.

The Committee looked into the issues of the Middle East and called for the respect of human dignity and the principle of equality in the rights and duties in citizenship, it also refused all sorts of violations of the human rights.

Based on this principle, the Committee refuses any use of violence or arms putting the stress on adopting dialogue as a sole means for resolving the conflicts.  Consequently, the Committee calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Iraq and respect of  the integrity of its territories, and condemns the assassinations and assaults on the bishops and priests of the Churches in Iraq; it also calls for the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories and stopping all sorts of violation of the rights of the Palestinian people from arrests to confiscation of lands to judaization of Jerusalem to the construction or enlargement of settlements, and the recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to live in peace in an independent state side by side with Israel.

The Council calls upon the Muslim partners in the Region, from among the religious authorities and intellectual leaderships, to raise loud their voice in disapproval of any misdeed that touches the Christians, human beings or stone, which fact drives many of them to emigrate whereas they are children of this land and builders of its civilization.

The Executive Committee expressed its satisfaction for the return of  the various factions of Lebanese population to dialogue; and it condemned the terrorist actions that hit the peaceful citizen in all the countries of the Middle East causing innocent victims.

The Middle East Council of Churches expresses the aspirations of the Churches to a Middle East with no wars or intrigues, free, flourishing and  where its children live with dignity and equality.  The Council is glad for the coincidence of the meeting of its Executive Committee with the advent of the Feast of Al Fitr and avails of this opportunity to present its best wishes to all the Muslims in this happy occasion.

 

Kiko Monastery, Trodos Mountain
Cyprus
October 2, 2008