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Over the course of two days (January 21 – 22/ 2020), the Executive
Committee held its regular meeting in Larnaca – Cyprus. The meeting was
generously hosted by His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus.
The members of the Executive Committee who participated in the meeting
came from Cyprus, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine.
The meeting was presided over by His Beatitude Youhanna X
– Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Greek Orthodox
Patriarchate of Antioch and president of the Council for the Greek
Orthodox Family, by His Holiness Mor Ignatius Aphrem II
– Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the
Universal Syriac Orthodox Church who is the president of the Council for
the Eastern Orthodox Family, by His Beatitude Mar Louis Raphael Sako – Patriarch of Babylon for Chaldeans and president of the Council for the Catholic family, and by Right Rev. Dr. Habib Badr, President of the National Evangelical Union Lebanon and president of the Council for the Evangelical Family.
This meeting is held in the midst of a period full of painful events
and suffering plaguing our Middle Eastern countries. The Executive
Committee members are fully aware of the suffering, afflictions and
challenges faced by the people in the region as well as by Churches.
They contemplated the divine affection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His
unparalleled love for humanity. They call on Christian believers in the
Middle East to hold on to their faith and hope and believe that God is
among us, supports us and engages us in His divine life. They also urge
the Member Churches of the Council to be fully present next to every
refugee and displaced person who is in pain after losing his family,
friends or properties due to violence and war so that the churches
remain an icon of divine affection and spaciousness.
After the opening prayer, the agenda was approved, and the minutes of
the Executive Committee’s meeting held at the Syrian Orthodox
Patriarchate of Antioch (Atchaneh – Bickfaya – Lebanon/22-23 January 2019) were adopted.
The first day discussions tackled many topics such as spiritual
renewal, ecumenical-geopolitical challenges and interfaith dialogue as
well as the institutional development of the MECC and its empowerment
after the crisis that it has been through. This will lead to the
development of its strategic orientation in preparation of the 12th
General Assembly. On the second day, the participants discussed the
report of Dr. Souraya Bechealany, the Secretary General, that includes
the Council’s achievements during 2019 and its future prospects. They
also examined the annual reports of the departments as well as the
financial report.
Based on the discussions, mainly focusing on the challenges
faced by Christians in the Middle East and their partners in
citizenship, the Executive Committee stressed the following:
1- Promote the ecumenical cooperation between the Middle East
churches on theological, social services and media levels in order
confirm their choice of unity in the witness of Jesus Christ that have
risen.
2- Pray for the discovery of the fate of their Eminences
Archbishop Boulous Yazigi and Archbishop Youhanna Ibrahim who have been
kidnapped in April 2013, and request the international conscience to
work for their safe return and to allow them to continue their mission
that is focused on peace building and human dignity.
3- The escalation of tension in the Middle East and the Arab World
requires prayer and work for peace and new initiatives to counter waves
of extremism in order to preserve peace in the society, protect human
dignity and pave the way for wise dialogue and conflict resolution while
rejecting violence and war.
4- The popular movement that Iraq is witnessing, calls for an
active contribution to achieve social justice, economic integrity, good
governance, national sovereignty and entrench the principles of
accountability and the fight against corruption through a fair judiciary
system.
5- The exacerbation of the Syrian people’s suffering requires the
deployment of intensive efforts in all sectors to lift the embargo,
promote the path of peace building and the restoration of security, and
to work hard to ensure the appropriate conditions that will allow the
return of refugees and displaced people to their land.
6- Recognize the efforts of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan that
has been entrusted with the protection of Christian and Muslim sacred
sites in the holy city of Jerusalem as well as the strengthening of
Christian presence in cooperation with churches. In addition to that, it
has been working for the promotion of Christian-Muslim dialogue and
living together in citizenship.
7- The participants pray for the Lebanon that is witnessing masses
protests carried out by the Lebanese people demanding a decent living
and the good management of their common resources; so that Lebanon, the
“Message”, regains its cultural role as a model of pluralism for common
good and as an example of responsible freedom.
8- Support all efforts to restore the unity of Cyprus in order to
unify the Cypriot people, promote regional and international peace, and
put an end to the occupation that has caused the division of the island.
9- Continuously support churches in Palestine and recognize the
people’s resilience despite their suffering in the face of occupation,
segregation and colonization. Call for the respect of the freedom of
religion for all Palestinians including Christians and Muslims, and the
respect of the legal and historic status-quo regarding the fact that
East Jerusalem is the capital of a viable independent Palestinian state.
10 -The Egyptian people have always aspired to consolidate the path
of citizenship, free from extremism and isolation. They are coexisting
to promote the living together which leads us to confirm that they are
collectively aware of the positive consequences that it stores in their
country.
11 – The fact that people in the region are calling for a complete
citizenship based equal rights and duties, and diversity, requires a
review of the systems and laws. This proves that there is an urgent need
to formulate a path which emphasizes on understanding unity in
diversity while considering that diversity is richness, away from
sectarian and factional exhortations and all forms of intolerance.
12 – The poverty and the marginalization that some classes of
society in the region suffer from call all states and ecclesial
institutions to design developmental sustainable policies that ensure a
decent life for every human being and that contribute to social justice
and economic prosperity.
13 – The MECC calls on Christians in this blessed Middle East to
hold on to their lands, their heritage and their identity with faith and
hope, and to enhance their role in consolidating living together,
mutual respect and social solidarity.
14 – The ongoing refugee and displacement crisis require intensive
efforts from the international community especially the United Nations
and faith-based organizations, to facilitate the return of these
refugees and displaced people to their countries of origin while
offering them a decent and protecting their identity and civilization.
This situation also requires providing constant support for host
communities and ensuring resilience components as well as the protection
of refugees and displaced people until their safe return.
15 – Ensure active coordination and communication in preparation of the General
Assembly of the Middle East Council of Churches that is expected to be
held between the 16th and 19th of September 2020 in Lebanon. It will be
entitled” “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27) and will be generously hosted by His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai – Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East – in Bkerki.
In conclusion, the MECC Executive Committee Members thank His
Beatitude Chrysostomos II and the Greek Orthodox Church in Cyprus for
generously hosting this meeting and thank Our Lord Jesus Christ, that
gathers His Church through His love.The MECC Executive Committee
Members are confident that the churches of the Middle East weren’t and
will never be alone in their witness, while renewing their faith in the
promise of God “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew
28:20). We also believe that the path towards the 12th General Assembly
will embody the common witness of the Churches and will shed light from a
realistic and prophetic perspective, on the role of Christians in the
suffering Middle East especially in the fight for human dignity. This
requires the solidarity of the leaders as well as a solid cooperation to
guarantee a bright future suitable for the Middle East and its value,
where diversity is a model of living together.
