Middle East Churches and their partners issue statement on Christian presence and witness in the Middle East
From May 21 to 25, KAIROS staff took part in the Middle East Council of Churches and World Council of Churches conference, Christian presence and witness in the Middle East, in Beirut, Lebanon.
The conference issued a joint statement calling the churches and ecumenical partners to commit to supporting one another in prayers and actions, and to support the Christian presence and witness in the Middle East. Read the statement.
The statement was an outcome of discussions engaging more than one hundred church leaders and representatives of ecumenical organizations in the region, including Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq and Iran, among others.
The final communiqué acknowledged the deep-rooted history of Christian presence in the Middle East, the churches efforts to work for peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict, political solutions towards the ongoing conflict in Syria, and efforts at political stability in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. It called the churches to act in unity to address challenges posed by unprecedented political, cultural and historical changes in the region and to “continue to be involved in the building of democratic civil societies, based on the rule of law, social justice and respect for human rights, including religious freedom.”
For more information please contact:
John Lewis
Human Rights Program Coordinator
jlewis@kairoscanada.org
1 877 403 8933 x224
