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(RNS) — As secretary general of the Middle East Council of Churches, Michel Abs said Christian humanitarian efforts in the region must prioritize children who have been traumatized, many of them orphaned, amid multiple Middle East conflicts.
MECC, headquartered in Beirut, aims to bring together Christian leaders across denominations to advance dialogue and peace in the region. Established in 1949 shortly after the Nakba, which led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and the creation of the modern state of Israel, it aimed to assist Palestinian refugees. Today, advocacy for Palestinians remains at the core of MECC’s efforts.
I spoke with Abs about his organization’s emergency response in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, Christian emigration and the problems it causes and protecting children who are vulnerable to trafficking.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tell us about the challenges of doing humanitarian work in Palestine and Lebanon.
Humanitarian action in Palestine and Lebanon during wartime requires transparent and accountable governance — clear oversight of church resources, credible and accountable aid administration and meaningful participation from the communities who rely on that support.
MECC’s Palestinian engagement is rooted in history. The Middle East Council of Churches was established in 1949 — one year after the Nakba — when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced. From the beginning, MECC created a dedicated department to serve Palestinian refugees. Today, Palestine remains at the heart of MECC’s identity and work, expressed through service, advocacy and awareness-building.
What is MECC’s stance on the current Israeli war in Lebanon?
The people of Lebanon have the right to security, dignity and life, whereas the occupation’s (Israel’s) actions in Lebanon are a barbaric aggression. MECC calls for protecting social cohesion; protecting the homeland includes safeguarding unity and preventing political conflict from becoming civil division.
What do you say should be the priority in Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank?
Our ecumenical response must prioritize the most vulnerable communities — especially children who are traumatized, afraid and sometimes left without parents. In Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank, crisis assistance must address both protection and the realities of daily fear and insecurity.
We also strongly reject discrimination against Christians and continued attacks on priests, nuns and holy sites. Christian villages like Taybeh need to be protected from settler violence and harassment.
We are also critical of the occupier’s policy of denying or delaying the renewal of travel permits for teachers and staff from Bethlehem and Ramallah who work in Christian schools in Jerusalem.
What are the challenges facing relief versus development during war?
MECC combines immediate relief with longer-term development where possible. However, during wartime it is difficult to plan development because priorities can shift toward urgent humanitarian needs.
Political realities and restrictions can limit development programming and disrupt implementation. As needs rise across regions, funding may shift away from development toward emergency response.
We also often find that donors are more willing to support short-term relief than multi-year development work, even when needs require both.
In terms of human rights in the region, what needs to be done to help orphaned children who seem to bear the biggest burden of the conflict?
Children in general suffer greatly without clear family support. Orphaned children face serious social and legal challenges. We are committed to a world without orphans, but in the Middle East, we have many obstacles in terms of the adoption process. There is a need for institutional documentation that can establish basic religious affiliation facts, which are needed due to the complex legal adoption realities. At the same time, we have to be careful in protecting vulnerable children from exploitation. Human trafficking and abuse thrive when children lack protection.
How are you approaching the problem of Middle East Christian emigration?
Demographic decline is a key challenge for Middle East Christian communities. Some of it stems from political instability in Palestine, Iraq and Syria.
Housing and employment — more than abstract talk of dignity — sustain communities. Progress depends on funding, capable management and effective implementation, and religious restrictions can complicate housing projects using church-owned land. But there is also another problem: low birth rates. Patterns such as delayed marriage and smaller family size threaten long-term community stability.
You have often talked about the need to uphold and prioritize good governance in churches in the Middle East. Why?
Many church leaders misunderstand governance as something threatening. I remember attending a conference about youth inclusion and religious education. When I raised the issue of reform and good governance in our churches, I was met with hostile resistance. This misunderstanding is dangerous because it undermines the need for a bigger role in decision-making that would lead to better church governance practices.
Church leaders must manage themselves responsibly within their duties and also manage what has been entrusted to them — especially finances, land and real estate. This includes transparency, communicated in understandable forms to the right audience, particularly those directly involved. I support publication rather than secrecy, and transparency must include auditing and follow-up accountability.
In Lebanon, for example, I see a lot of waste of church resources and abandoned and unused properties. Land plots are not being properly used to build affordable housing. Such a waste affects people’s lives. Governance problems are not limited to meetings or offices — they damage communities.
It is necessary to uphold the practice of holding elections for church councils within Lebanon’s religious communities to balance diocesan leadership with lay members. These councils should have authority to review financial figures and seek outside expertise when needed.
What role does MECC play in building cooperation among churches and why is the Jordanian Evangelical Council excluded from MECC?
MECC is a fellowship of churches. We coordinate church-related organizations and institutions working in similar fields. We support networks involving seminaries and communication channels, and we also work on combating hate speech and Christian media initiatives.
We don’t exclude evangelical churches, but we work through “four church-wide families,” Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Churches and Protestants. Evangelical Churches in Jordan need to apply through the relevant church family as individual denominations, not as a council. So, Baptists, Pentecostal churches or the Nazarene each can apply to the evangelical family headed by the Rev. Paul Haidostian, who is also head of the Armenian Evangelicals in Lebanon.
Editor’s note: The Embassy of Israel did not respond to a request for comment.
(Daoud Kuttab is the senior communications officer of the World Evangelical Alliance. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.)