On November 27, 2007 and in the presence of around one hundred Heads of Churches, Church leaders, bishops, church delegates and guests, the MECC opened its 9th General Assembly with an ecumenical worship at St. Georgios Orthodox Church in Paphos/Cyprus.
The opening session was marked with several eminent speeches and messages. In his welcoming speech, the MECC General Secretary, Mr Guirgis Saleh, highlighted the importance of assembling in Paphos ³the place where St. Pau l passed through and preached his ecumenical messages of dialogue and hope. W e meet today on the steps of St. Paul to affirm the Christian messages of love, justice and peace in a turbulent region and in a world marked with conflicts². The General Secretary hoped for ³peace in Palestine-Israel², ³security² in Iraq, ³stability² in Lebanon, ³unity² to Cyprus, ³justice² fo r Syria, and continuous prosperity in Egypt and Jordan. After thirty-three years on the birth of MECC, ³churches are still wanting to be together to fulfill the message of Jesus Christ in being one², Guirgis said. He confirmed that ³the Council is maintaining the ecumenical message of love, and the Assembly is a time for churches to witness fellowship, learn from the past, and asses the ecumenical future vision².
His Eminence Bishop Yohana Kolta, a President of the Council representing the Catholic Churches assessed in his opening speech that MECC member churches ³are convinced that they are witnessing a common work together through the Council and that the Christian presence in this region has in its essence an apostolic and martyrdom characteristic². He called on Christians in the Middle East region to ³shape better ways of dialogue and that they have a special responsibility in establishing global peace².
Fr. Dr. Anthony Ball, the International Relations officer of the Anglican Church delivered the message of His Eminence Archbishop of Canterbury. The message confirmed the ³unique relationships between the Anglican Church and the churches in the Middle East on the one hand and the MECC on the other hand². The Archbishop acknowledged with prayers the ³conflicts that Christians in the Middle East are undergoing². He affirmed also that in Hi s Capacity as the Archbishop of Canterbury is working to establish a ³just an d peaceful Middle East².
His Eminence Archbishop Anthony Franko, the Apostolic representative of the Vatican to Palestine and Cyprus delivered the message of His Eminence Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Christian Unity between Christians in the Vatican. The message affirmed that the Holy Father Pope Bendictos the 16th carries a ³special concern of hope and fear to Christian Churches in the Middle East². His Holiness is ³quite aware of the challenges against Christians in this region, and admire the meeting of churches under the umbrella of MECC. Yet, challenges should not drive churches into despair bu t hope². His Eminence Archbishop Kasper called on churches in the Middle East ³to carry the responsibility of the ecumenical work by common witness, stop the emigration, and establish a strategy of cooperation between churches to overcome the fundamentalism everywhere².
In his speech, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and Palestine spoke about the ³common witness of churches in this Assembly to highlight the values that Jesus Christ gave an d which are underestimated in the world today². He commented on the political conflicts in the region and called churches to make its choice always for peace with the logic of justice. We are called; he said ³to preserve peaceful, quiet and coherent social entities of our societies in diversity² .
In his turn His Eminence Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II talked about the ³common historical sufferings and pains of Christians in the Middle East². He praised the work of MECC as ³the only ecumenical body that contains all ecumenical efforts and visions². The Archbishop confirmed that the conflict of Cyprus ³is not a Christian-Muslim conflict but a colonial one².
Mr. Michel Nseir delivered the message of Dr. Sam Kobia, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. Kobia assessed that ³all Christians are called to stand against injustice². We are called, he said, to ³support Palestinians to have their rights, to work seriously to stop th e war and occupation in Iraq, and to endeavor together to establish justice and peace².
Following this session a documentary film was projected on MECC¹s ecumenica l work during the past four years.
The MECC General Secretary Report was presented, discussed and accepted by the Assembly.