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International Ecumenical Relations Email: mecc@cyberia.net.lb September, 2007
MECC General Secretary addressed the 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly – Romania In Sibiu – Romania the European Ecumenical Assembly held its third Assembly (5 – 9 September), under the theme: “The light of Christ Shines upon All. Hope for Renewal & Unity in Europe”. The goal of the Assembly was to celebrate and bear witness to the discipleship of Jesus Christ, deepen the knowledge and appreciation of the diverse spiritual traditions in Europe, and reinforce and broaden the European ecumenical network. The MECC General Secretary Mr Guirgis Saleh delivered two messages during the Assembly in which he touches on the issues of peace in the Middle East region, violence, security, dialogue and long-lasting conflicts, Christian-Muslim dialogue as well as the ecumenical efforts of MECC is advocating for peace and human rights. Speaking about conflicts, Mr Saleh challenged the Assembly by saying: “…the longer the conflicts and insecurities ferment unaddressed, the greater the sense of injustice and humiliation will prevail”. He reminded the Assembly that “dialogue should be based on common humanitarian principles and mutual respect, and the goal of it is to preserve and celebrate the differences as sources of strength and wealth”. He added that “we need in the Middle East to take steps in favor of human rights and religious freedom”. The MECC took “a sharp decision to spare a wider space for advocacy on human rights and Christian presence”. For further information contact: guirgissaleh@cyberia.net.lb For information about the European Ecumenical Assembly: www.cec-kek.org
The Archbishop of Canterbury Visited Syria & Lebanon Aiming at building bridges, expressing solidarity with churches and Christians in the Middle East, and meeting with Muslim leaders in the region, the Archbishop of Canterbury Most Rt. Revd Dr Rowan Williams and seven of the Anglican Bishops and Canons visited Syria and Lebanon between 26 and 28th of September. The Archbishop’s visit falls within a series of official visits to a number of countries including Armenia, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. In Syria, the Archbishop and his delegation met with the President of the Country His Excellence Dr Bachar Al-Assad, Heads of Churches the Patriarchs, the Grand Mufti as well as the Anglican congregation in Syria. The Archbishop was also invited to “Iftar” meals during Ramadan Muslim month which were organized by Heads of Churches and Muslim Communities and were attended by Government officials, members of the Parliaments, church leaders and Muslim Sheikhs. In the different speeches that the Archbishop said, he expressed his appreciation of “coexistence between Christian and Muslims in Syria”, and that “Christian Arabs have greater responsibilities more than ever before in reconciliation and tolerance”. The Archbishop appreciated the stands of the Government of Syria in welcoming and receiving the Iraqi refugees. He met with many Iraqis families who told different sad stories. In their turns the Patriarchs and the Grand Mufti of Syria expressed their gratitude to the visit of the Archbishop and his delegation, wishing him to carry a true image of coexistence, tolerance and peace. In Lebanon, the Archbishop met with the Grand Mufti of Lebanon, the President of the Highest Council of Islamic Shiiat, the Cardinal Patriarch Mar Nisrallah Botros Sfeir of the Maronite, and Catholicos Aram the First of the Armenian Orthodox Apostolic Church. They all stressed on the importance of dialogue and brining peace to the Middle East region. The Archbishop presented a lecture at the Near East School of Theology on the “Christian-Muslim Dialogue”. He also put the foundation for an Anglican church in Beirut, and met with Palestinian refugees families. The MECC offices in Lebanon and Syria were coordinating the program of the visit. The MECC General Secretary accompanied the Archbishop and the Anglican delegation in their visits to Syria and Lebanon. In his welcoming speech, the General Secretary talked about the “climate of despair, uncertainty, insecurity and refuge that is prevailing in the Middle East nowadays is leading to the growing number of people seeking emigration”. He called on all religions to “continue offering a message of hope and reconciliation, dialogue with other religions, advocate for human rights”. He confirmed the role of MECC as “the action of churches together and their unified voice to the region and the world”. For further information contact: guirgissaleh@cyberia.net.lb, laham-s@scs-net.org, rsiriani@scs-net.org
MECC Special Staff Meeting in Preparation for 10th General Assembly The MECC General Secretary called the Associates and the senior staff for a special meeting on the 10th of September in Beirut to follow up on the practical preparations for the General Assembly. The meeting discussed the actions so far that have been taken, decide on the delegation of staff for the work before and during the Assembly, set final dates for reporting and sending it to the delegations. The Assembly will take place in Paphos, Cyprus (26 – 30 November 2007). For further information contact: guirgissaleh@cyberia.net.lb
LWF/ACT Training on Psychosocial Manual The ACT in cooperation with the Lutheran World Federation conducted a training seminar on the “Psychosocial Manual” which ACT produced lately. The meeting took place in Sarajevo (10 – 18 September). Participants from different countries in the world participated in the training sessions. Four staff from MECC Beirut and Amman as well as DSPR attended the training seminar. For further information contact: wafa_mecc@go.com.jo
NCA Jordan/Iraq Office The NCA Jordan/Iraq office has requested from the MECC Amman office to arrange the visit of a delegation from NCA Oslo, 10 district contacts, for a week-long tour of Jordan in Oct.2007, NCA Iraq has no projects in Jordan and the group has expressed an interest in being informed about/visit projects helping Palestinian refugees and Iraqis living in Jordan. The group will be visiting both Palestinian Refugee camp and Churches hosting Iraqis. For further information contact: wafa_mecc@go.com.jo
“Monitoring Human Rights in Places of Detention” Seminar MECC Unit on Life & Service Director along with UNHCR/MECC Social worker in charge of Detention of refugees participated in the regional seminar “Monitoring Human Rights in Places of Detention”, which was held in Amman – Jordan from 3 –6 September 2007. The seminar was jointly organized by the Jordanian National center for Human Rights, the Rehabilitation & Research center for Torture Victims (RCT) and the Association for the prevention of Torture APT. The seminar aimed at exchanging knowledge and experience about existing systems and practices of monitoring places of detention, formulating strategies to strengthen detention monitoring in the Middle East & North Africa region and developing recommendations on Monitoring Human Rights in places of detention in the region. Participants came from 13 countries of the ME and North Africa representing 30 bodies from National Human Rights Institutions, NGOs, Parliamentary committees and minister for Human Rights. The Director of MECC Unit on Life & Service presented a paper on Detention conditions in Lebanon. For further information contact: meccls@cyberia.net.lb
MECC Statement on Muslim Ramadan Month of Fasting The General Secretary issued on 12th of September a statement in which he congratulated the Islamic World on the month of Ramadan, the month of feast and blessings. The statement stresses on the values of tolerance, love, spirituality, charity and coexistence. The statement congratulated the Islamic and the Arab World and hoped for “peace in the Middle East and in the world”. For further information contact: guirgissaleh@cyberia.net.lb, www.mec-churches.org
Women Seminar in Lebanon At the occasion of the Holy Cross memorial day 14th of September, the Women Program organized a seminar on “Spirituality from the Cross”. 45 women from Beirut and the surroundings gathered in Bekfaya town at the Antoine’s Sister Nuns covenant to reflect on the Biblical images of the cross. For further information contact: mmilki@hotmail.com
Relief and Aid to Iraqis in Syria & Lebanon Starting from September, the MECC offices in Syria (Damascus and Aleppo) launched the relief and aid project for Iraqi refugees in Syria. The project which is funded by the international agencies (Diakonie, ACT, MISSIO, and IOCC) includes food supplies, support for children’s education in schools, vocational training courses for young Iraqis, and medical support for needy Iraqi patients. The project is covering more than (1600) Christian Iraqi families in Damascus, Aleppo and Hassake cities and surroundings. It is estimated that more than (1.5) Million Iraqis are living now in Syria of different religious backgrounds, and almost 450.000 out of them are Christians. In Lebanon, the MECC has distributed financial support through churches to Iraqi refugees. For further information contact: laham-s@scs-net.org, rsiriani@scs-net.org, ntoumeh@cyberia.net.lb
Human Resource Development Seminar The Unit on Life & Service/Human Resource Development Program organized a seminar in Alexandria – Egypt (28 – 30 September), on the theme: “Towards Positive Steps to Development – The Role of Individuals, Churches and Organizations”. The seminar aimed at developing a network among churches and organizations in the field of human resource development, and encourages churches to be involved in development projects for the needy. For further information contact: meccls@cyberia.net.lb
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