MECC statement on the freezing of the bank accounts of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem

The Middle East Council of Churches, which includes the Blessed Greek Orthodox Jerusalem Patriarchate as a founding member and a fundamental element of its structure, strongly condemns the suffering of this Patriarchate, which has been enduring for decades from the violations and injustice of the occupation against its people and institutions.

The freezing of the bank accounts of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem by these authorities constitutes an assault on its parishioners and on the people of Palestine as a whole. This action paralyzes the ability of church institutions to function normally and serve the people and prevents aid from reaching them at a time when they are most in need of it, given the inhumane conditions endured by the Palestinian people, resulting from the ongoing war against them.

All this is happening while the Palestinian people in Gaza are subjected to genocide and territorial destruction, inevitably leading to ethnic cleansing. In the West Bank, the Palestinian people are subjected to daily attacks by settlers, with the aim of displacing people and achieving “transfer,” which would lead to the elimination of the Palestinian presence and the denial of their right to their land, despite the recognition of this right by the United Nations and international conventions.

The Middle East Council of Churches, which has been preaching and working for justice and peace since its founding half a century ago, and which calls for a just solution to the Palestinian cause, calls on the international community, especially the world’s most influential ecumenical bodies, to demand the implementation of international agreements and respect for international humanitarian law, and to exert the necessary pressure to dissuade the occupying forces from carrying out these aggressive and destructive actions.

This phase of financial pressure comes after decades of direct attacks on and confiscation of Patriarchal property in more than one location in Palestine. The two processes are inevitably linked, with the target being the Christian presence, and the Palestinian presence in general, on the land of Palestine, the land of the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and the launching of the message of salvation.

The Middle East Council of Churches believes that the entire world must stand together to save humanity and the remaining Christians on the land of Christ.

Beirut, August 20, 2025