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International Ecumenical Relations Email: mecc@cyberia.net.lb January, 2008
MECC General Secretary visits the Grand Mufti of Syria MECC General Secretary accompanied by the director of International Ecumenical Relations visited the Grand Mufti of Syria Dr. Sheikh Ahmad Hassoun on the 30th of December 2007. The visit was to thank the Grand Mufti on his support to MECC activities specially the Christian-Muslim dialogue in the region, and to site a vision of continuous cooperation and coexistence. For further information contact: rsiriani@scs-net.org
MECC General Secretary meets with Heads of Churches in Syria On the 30th of December 2007, the MECC General Secretary met with Heads of churches in Damascus, Syria, His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV Hazim of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, His Holiness Patriarch Zakka I Iwas of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, and Vice Patriarch His Grace Bishop Joseph Absi of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church. The two Patriarchs congratulated the General Secretary on re-electing him at the last Assembly, discussed with him the Council’s vision, and the relationships between churches. For further information contact: rsiriani@scs-net.org
The Grand Mufti of Syria Prays for Peace in a Church On the first day of 2008, the Grand Mufti of Syria shared a special prayer for peace, organized by the Syrian Orthodox Church of Aleppo, Syria. Several Bishops, clergy and hundreds of faithful gathered in St. Ephrem Cathedral to sing hymns, read texts from both the Bible and the Qura’an, recite supplications for peace, and listen to talks on this occasion. In his speech, the Grand Mufti reminded the audience that the “first person to make peace was God and His Prophets, and God is still able to make peace to humans if humans worked for that end”. Other Bishops’ speakers confirmed that peace must be protected and it starts when approaching others with it. For further information contact: rsiriani@scs-net.org
Iraqi Premier Reassures Vatican on Protection for Christians Following coordinated attacks on churches and convents on “Epiphany” January 6th in Baghdad and Mosul, Iraqi Premier Nur-aldin al-Maliki reassured the Vatican that his government is committed to protect Iraq’s Christians. In his meeting with Apostolic Nuncio, Msgr. Francis Assisi Chullikatt, Premier Maliki condemned the attacks and guaranteed protection and justice. A statement was released from Al-Maliki’s office underlining that the Iraqi government’s desire to promote “strong and friendly links with the nation’s Christian groups” and insisted “peaceful coexistence is possible”. On the other hand, Premier Maliki renewed his invitation to the Pope to visit Iraq. For further information contact: rsiriani@scs-net.org, or www.ankawa.com
MECC Calls for Solidarity with People of Gaza and Immediate End of Siege In a statement issued on the 25th of January, MECC General Secretary called the international community to show solidarity with the people of Gaza. “The Middle East Council of Churches calls on all to do whatever possible to end the siege on Gaza and to find the mechanisms that will enable innocent Palestinians to live in peace”, the statement said. Annexed to this issue is the full text of the message. For more than two weeks, the people of Gaza are under Israeli complete siege. The living conditions for 1.5 million Palestinians are deteriorating rapidly. They are imprisoned without proper food or medicaments. Already freedom of movement of goods, food, and fuel is stifling the quality of life in the occupied territories. Shortage of food, fuel and medicines are the daily suffering of people. With the electricity shortage continuing, the laboratory tests cannot be performed while medications that need refrigeration would be wasted. Sick people particularly those suffering from cancer and chronic diseases are not finding a way out. Electricity in Gaza also became a sought-after product, with Gazans who could effort a generator purchasing one. Heads of Churches in Jerusalem and the Holy Land called for the end of the siege and “to put an end to this suffering and call upon Israel to activate Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's initiative for Palestinian responsibility control of the boarders thus ensuring sufficient normal flow of medicine, food, fuel and goods to Gaza”. The statement from the Heads of Churches urged “the International Community and the European Union to act according to their recent pleas. There is no time to waste when Human life is endangered”. They prayed “for the Israelis and Palestinians to respect human life and God's love for every human life, and to take all possible measures to end this suffering. Only bold steps towards just Peace and ending the violence will protect the Human life and dignity of both people”. On the other hand, the United Nations and humanitarian partner agencies launched on the 22nd of January their largest ever appeal for Palestinians - $462 million - as the population of the West Bank and Gaza Strip is forced into greater dependency on humanitarian assistance in 2008. It is the largest appeal for emergency humanitarian assistance ever launched in the occupied Palestinian territory. For further information contact: Jerusalem Inter-Church Centre: yusef66jrs@yahoo.com
Churches in the Middle East Pray for Unity In line with the world celebrations of the Week of Prayer for Unity, MECC and churches in the Middle East celebrated the 100th anniversary of the ecumenical prayer under the theme: “pray without ceasing”. In Lebanon, several activities were carried by MECC to mark this occasion: lectures, vespers, ecumenical prayers in different churches, youth gathering for prayer, and choir concerts. In Syria, churches prayed on the 25th of January in ecumenical celebrations and in different regions of the country: Damascus, Aleppo, Hassake and Homs. In Egypt, MECC organized ecumenical gatherings for prayer in different churches in Cairo in which hymns, prayers and spiritual speeches were delivered by Heads of Churches. MECC Faith & Unity director encouraged churches in his opening speech to pray for the Holy Spirit so that peace may prevail in this region. Every time, he said, “we seek war instead of peace, search for false victory instead of repentance, fight against each other instead of true dialogue; therefore we are refusing to receive the Holy Spirit”. He added saying: “we are born in this land and we are called to remain truthful to….we pray to God so that He may transform our prayers to ecumenical commitment in reconciliatory process”. For further information contact: meccfu@cyberia.net.lb
Amman Third Conference on Coexistence & Peace Making Under the patronage of His Royal Majesty King Abdallah II, senior Christian and Muslim religious leaders attended the Third International Conference sponsored by the “Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Centre” in Amman – Jordan (22 – 23 January 2007). MECC General Secretary, Heads of Churches in the Middle East, Presidents of Islamic centers, religious leaders and experts on Christian-Muslim dialogue participated in the conference. MECC General Secretary addressed the audience with a paper on MECC perspective on dialogue with Muslims in which he mentioned the three levels of dialogue that the Council is concerned with: top leaders, youth and human services. He stated MECC perspective on dialogue by saying that “Christian-Muslim dialogue is not about dogmas or given religious facts rather about living together as Christians and Muslims in peace, and facing common challenges of the society”. The final communiqué of the conference stressed on several points of respect: the freedom of religion and faith, the Prophets, the Holy Books of each religion, the Holy places, the freedom of expression without messing with the Holy believes, and to include subjects to the educational curriculum which encourage dialogue and coexistence. The Conference ended with a “Document” on coexistence between the two religions and was signed by all participants.
MECC General Secretary Expresses Condolences on the Death of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens & All Greece Greek Orthodox Archbishop Christodoulos, head of the Greek Orthodox Church of Athens & All Greece passed away on the 29th of January at the age of 69. MECC General Secretary sent the following message of condolences:
THE HOLY SYNOD
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband… And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Rev.21:1-4)
It is with great sorrow and grief that I learned of the death of His Beatitude Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens. The Archbishop passing is a great loss for Greece, for the Orthodox community and for humanity as a whole. During his long and intense life of service, both as a spiritual leader, the Archbishop demonstrated a unique and inspiring moral authority to the world.
I had the enormous privilege of knowing this great figure. As a Christian, I have been profoundly moved and touched by his faith, by his love for all, and by his deep capacity for forgiveness. His Beatitude Archbishop Christodoulos wielded enormous influence during his tenure as head of the country's dominant religious group, advocates for the dialogue of love between the Church of Greece and the Church of Rome, and brought new vigor to the Orthodox faith in Greece. His disappearance leaves a void in the hearts of all those, believers and non believers, who have been inspired by his example of courage and humanity. In the name of the Presidents of the Middle East Council of Churches, its Executive Committee members, and me personally, we offer our heartfelt condolences to the Church of Greece and others around the world that have been touched and inspired by his life. We will remember him as a man of great courage and humility, as well as leader of the ecumenical movement and servant of peace and justice. We pray God, to receive him into his everlasting kingdom.
In Christ, Guirguis Ibrahim Saleh General Secretary The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)
MECC General Secretary meets with MECC Presidents in Lebanon MECC General Secretary met on the 26th of January at Antelias - Beirut with MECC Presidents: His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, and His Grace Archbishop Boulos Matar. MECC General Secretary presented the first draft of the 4-years plan of action to the Presidents and received their initial comments on it. The talks focused also on ecumenical affairs and issues related to MECC, as well as on the next Executive Committee meeting which will take place in Antelias at the Armenian Orthodox Catholicosate, from 4 - 7 March 2008.
MECC Senior Staff meets to discuss MECC 4-Years Plan of Action MECC General Secretary met with the directors and coordinators of the Units and Programs in the MECC Headquarters in Beirut on January 25, 2008 to discuss the first draft of the MECC 4-Years Plan of Action. The plan was set by the Units and compiled by the International Ecumenical Relations (IER). The plan was discussed in details and several suggestions made by the staff were taken into consideration. The plan will be presented to the MECC presidents, executive committee members and partners. For further information please contact Razek Siriani at: rsiriani@scs-net.org
“News brief” received the following message: Wish you and all MECC 1. Joy deep within sustained by the Holy Spirit 2. Serenity at every sunrise reminding you of God's faithfulness 3. Success in everything you do in life, work and ministry 4. Caring family around you for support 5. Loving friends around you for encouragement 6. Never-ending love flowing out of your life 7. Wholesome health for you 8. Beautiful memories of your yesterdays 9. A fruitful and blessed year of 2008 that you can accomplish much more 10. Pathways leading to better tomorrows 11. Visions and dreams that will come true and 12. Walking with the Savior much closer than last year. Blessings and prayers From: Daniel & Hephzi Grimmer
“Call for Solidarity with Gaza People” Statement issued by the Middle East Council of Churches
The Gaza Situation continues to be on our mind. In spite of the opening of the borders with Egypt which gave Palestinians in Gaza some respite from the Israeli-imposed siege, the long term prospects for the Gaza Strip and its 1.5 million populations remains a cause for grave concern.
From communication with DSPR Gaza the situation on the ground will not see any betterment of conditions. There is fear that the population will continue to suffer the consequences of the siege. According to Mr. Constantine Dabbagh, the Executive Director of DSPR Gaza, the impression people worldwide get is that Israel was providing the Gaza Strip with fuel, food and all kinds of commodities out of its generosity. In fact, the people of Gaza were paying for each item, including medications that came via Israel. Israel continues with the closure; does not allow critically ill people to move out of the Gaza Strip to receive treatment either in Israel or in Arab countries. Over 70 patients have died since Israel imposed the hermetic closure. More are candidates for this awful fate unless the international community comes in with the needed intervention. Thousands of Gazans are not allowed to move out of the Strip in any direction which explains why Egypt has not opposed their crossing of the border in order to buy the essential commodities in Sinai that are needed for their living.
The prospects for a quick improvement in the living conditions of the Gaza population are indeed slim. Accordingly, the Middle East Council of Churches calls on all to do whatever possible to end the siege on Gaza and to find the mechanisms that will enable innocent Palestinians to live in peace. It is imperative to enable Palestinians to move in and out freely from the Gaza Strip. This is particularly important for chronically ill people who cannot find proper care in the Gaza Strip itself. It is also true of hundreds of students and of those whose livelihood and or family requires them to cross the borders regularly. Restricting the movement of the overall population is collective punishment that cannot be accepted on moral grounds.
The Middle East Council of Churches is in constant communication with DSPR Gaza. Given the current and anticipated situation in the Gaza Strip, it is important for emergency aid to keep coming and for all concerned to think of a long term strategy in order to enable Palestinians in Gaza to continue living with dignity.
We trust and pray for a just and lasting solution in order that the Palestinians can exercise their rights and for all to live in peace that can lead to real reconciliation.
Guirguis Ibrahim
Saleh Beirut, 25 January 2008
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is a fellowship of churches in the Middle East, which foster the ecumenical movement in the region. It brings together almost all the region’s Christians in a body that focuses on strengthening the relations between churches, between Christians and non-Christians in the region, and between members of the body of Christ within and outside the region. In bringing these different churches together, MECC seeks to serve the needs of the broader society, by engaging in diakonical work, advocacy, education and training on behalf of the whole church, rather than one part of it. The MECC is founded in 1974 through its first General Assembly. The Council’s head quarter is in Beirut, Lebanon. However, regional offices in Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Jerusalem exist.
For Contribution:
Middle East Council
of Churches
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