MECC: July 2020 issue of Al-Muntada newsletter is published

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) has published a new issue of its periodic magazine, “Al-Muntada”, in July 2020, in Arabic and English. The issue focuses on two main topics: Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees’ right of return, and the Middle East region’s approach in facing the Coronavirus pandemic.

The July 2020 issue features:

• The letter of Rev. Habib Badr, president of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon and president of the council on behalf of the Evangelical family, entitled: Does Jesus really not care that we are perishing?
• A foreword by Dr Souraya Bechealany, MECC secretary general, entitled: Has Jerusalem city of Peace and prayer been sold for thirty pieces of silver?
• The call of the members of the MECC Executive Committee meeting from Cyprus: “We call on Christians in this blessed Middle East to hold on to their lands, their heritage and their identity”
• A feature file entitled: Palestine and the Palestinians’ Right of Return: A Legitimate Cause. “The Flower of Cities” is Ours

  This file includes:

  • An article by Metropolitan George Khodr entitled “The Man of Al Quds”
  • An interview with Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), in which he insists on the fact that “Palestine refugees deserve a just and lasting solution to their plight”
  • An article entitled “Palestine and its Refugees… An Ethical Compass!” written by Ziad Sayegh, expert in Palestinian affairs, where he draws a roadmap focusing on the just return of refugees.
  • A special report on the MECC Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees, entitled “More than 60 years of service to safeguard the dignity of refugees… until they return to their land”.
  • The joint letter of the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches, appealing to the EU to take a firm stance against annexation by Israel of occupied Palestinian territory!

This issue of Al-Muntada also includes a special interview with Rev. Dr Olav Fyske Tveit, former secretary general of World Council of Churches (WCC) where he highlights that “The martyrdom and sacrifice of Eastern Christians remains a powerful inspiration for world Christianity”.

The second topic of the issue focuses on the top event during the current period, and is entitled: “In the Face of Covid-19: The Story of a Virus that Turned Houses into Prayer Altars”. 

To read the electronic copy of the magazine, you can visit the following link: Al-Muntada July 2020.