MECC Commemorates the International Day of Prayer for Peace After a month of hostilities and war on Lebanon and on the occasion of the International Day of Prayer for Peace, Father Gaby Hachem, director of the MECC Unit on Faith and Unity, called on all believers of all religions in Lebanon, inviting them to reflect and pray for peace in this beloved country, in the Middle East region and worldwide. In his Call, Father Gaby insisted on the link between justice and peace and on the importance of commitment to religious, political, social and familial peace. Only a chang e in mentality and behavior, a real conversion or ³metanoia², can build a durable and much needed peace. Thus, ³each one of us can respond to God¹s call and collaborate in synergy with God, for the establishment of peace in the world².
Two events held on September 21, 2006, were organized jointly by the MECC General Secretariat, Unit on Faith and Unity and the Communication Department, to commemorate the Day. The theme was inspired from Psalms 85, highlighting the ineluctable link between justice and durable peace.
Round table on Justice and Peace
In the morning, a roundtable on the theme ³Justice and Peace² brought 4 speakers to address the topic after the opening words offered by the MECC General Secretary. ³Let this day be a message from Lebanon² said Mr. Saleh, ³and an intifada for resurrection after the Israeli war on Lebanon. Let thi s day be a screaming call for justice in the Occupied Palestine, for an end o f the blood shed in beloved Iraq, and an affirmation of the reality and model of coexistence offered by the country of the cedars, Lebanon². (See Photo Box on MECC website at: www.mec-churches.org <http://www.mec-churches.org/ )
Fr. Yussuf Mouannes, chairperson of the MECC Communication Committee, moderated the roundtable. Speakers included Archbishops Georges Khodr (Orthodox Church) and Boulos Mattar (Maronite Church), Shiite Mufti of Tyre , Ali al Amine, and Dr. Radwane Saied, eminent Sunni personality and professor.
Ecumenical Prayer
In the evening, an ecumenical prayer was organized at the Greek Catholic Archbishopric of Beirut, where close to 150 persons from all denominations gathered to pray together. The homely pronounced by Mgr. Selim Ghazal emphasized the importance and requirements of dialogue between religions an d cultures, in the Middle Eastern context in general, and the Lebanese contex t in particular.
Posters, cards and the Call of the MECC prepared for the occasion, were widely distributed and disseminated and the two events, covered by all the media.
(See Photo Box on MECC website at: www.mec-churches.org <http://www.mec-churches.org/> )
Middle East Council of Churches Office of International Ecumenical Relations P.O. Box 5376, Beirut, Lebanon
Guirgis Ibrahim Saleh, General Secretary
mecc@cyberia.net.lb or guirgissaleh@cyberia.net.lb
+961-1-353-938 http://www.mec-churches.org/