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Message to the Executive Committee of
the Middle East Council of Churches
from
His Beatitude Theophilos III
Patriarch of Jerusalem
Mr.Guirguis Saleh
Secretary General of MECC,
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We send you our greetings in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ from
the Holy City of Jerusalem. We have been kept up to date with the work of the Middle
East Council of Churches, and we are pleased that our delegate, Archbishop of
Abela Mr. Dorotheos, is able to represent us at this meeting of the Executive
Committee.
We remain committed to the stated purposes and goals of the mission
of the Middle East Council of Churches. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem is always
ready to work in collaboration with all the people of good will for the
well-being of our region, and we wish especially to acknowledge the efforts of
our fellow Christians from other Churches and Christian communities in this
regard. Such collaboration represents for us that respectful co-existence of
people of different religious, cultural and ethnic identities that we believe
is essential for the integrity of the life of the Middle
East.
However, our concern about the present state of affairs in the
Middle East Council of Churches continues. We wish respectfully to remind the
Executive Committee of the resolutions of the 9thh General Assembly of the MECC
in Paphos, Cyprus, which was held from 27 to 30 November 2007. It was at this
meeting that the need for re-structuring the organization was acknowledged.
Subsequently, the MECC has admitted a serious financial crisis, a
crisis that is being felt by many organizations around the world. At later
meetings of the Executive Committee in Beirut
and Kykkos, although the deepening crisis was known, no action was taken.
We note with sadness a distinct lack of progress in setting the MECC
on the firm footing that was articulated in Paphos. Instead, the financial
crisis has deepened.
We acknowledge with gratitude the hard work of many in the MECC to
ensure that the Council is faithful to its goals and mission, and we understand
the many challenges that faces the Council in its work. It is all the more
important in our view that the Council remains absolutely committed to its
vision and mission.
Therefore with great reluctance we are forced to admit that we lack
confidence in the current Secretariat Staff and the SCAF of the MECC, and it
seems to us that the following two courses of action are the only courses of
action now open to the MECC in order to move forward:
- Given the deepening crisis and the
clear lack of progress in re-structuring the organization, and given the
inability of the present Secretariat Staff and SCAF both to acknowledge
this publicly and to propose effective solutions, it would seem that the
honorable next course of action would be for the current Secretariat and
SCAF Staff to submit their resignations, and for the Council to elect and
appoint a new body of Secretariat Staff and SCAF with the clear mandate to
execute a strategic plan that will accomplish the goals set at the 9th
general assembly in 2007 as well as ensure the financial solvency of MECC
and
- that the newly elected and
appointed secretariat Staff and SCAF will provide to member Churches an
open strategic plan to set the MECC on its proper course. With an expectation
of regular reports and accountability to member Churches.
We realize that these may be difficult recommendations for some to
hear, but we articulate them out of deep concern for the MECC itself. If we are
not ready and prepared to proceed along these lines with firm clear and focused
action then there is no likelihood that the MECC can accomplish the good work
that lies at the heart of its urgent mission to the peoples of our region who
so desperately need the leadership of the Churches in establishing peace,
reconciliation and a proper co-existence of all.
We pray for God's blessing upon your work during this meeting, and
we urge you to take this necessary action for the future of the MECC.
Theophilos III
Patriarch of Jerusalem
President for the Eastern Orthodox Churches of MECC.
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