| A special session on 24 October during the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, lifted up the hope and steadfastness of Christians in the Middle East. |
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 | | 24 October 2025, Wadi El Natrun, Egypt: General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches Prof. Dr Michel Abs speaks during the World Council of Churches Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order taking place 24-28 October 2025 in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, around the theme “Where now for visible unity?” Photo:Albin Hillert/WCC |
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The session opened with a word delivered by the secretary general of the Middle East Council of Churches, Prof. Dr Michel Abs, who stressed that “Christian unity is much more visible than we think. The Christ is one and we are one, and in His name we celebrate life and salvation.” Abs said: “Christians accept each other regardless their differences. We are in a way one. Unity is there; we just need to know how to live it.” The session, organized by the Middle East Council of Churches, was moderated by Father Dr Antoine Al Ahmar, director of the Middle East Council of Churches Theological and Ecumenical Department, who noted: “The Middle East is not only the birthplace of Christianity, but also a living testimony to the endurance, transformation, and vitality of faith across centuries. Here, the testimony of faith became martyrdom, and defenders of the faith such as Saint Athanasius and the early church fathers bore courageous witness to the truth of the Gospel.” He added, “This session seeks to deepen our understanding of Christian faith in the Middle East — a faith shaped by history, enriched by diversity, and tested by complex social, political, and inter-religious realities.” Deeply rooted His Grace Anba Hermina, general bishop, Coptic Orthodox Church, addressed how the Christian faith is deeply rooted in the soil of the Middle East, as a living and suffering faith, as well as present challenges and opportunities for the Christian Church in the Middle East. He emphasized: “The Christian faith in the Middle East is not merely a heritage of the past but a life renewed by the Holy Spirit — a vocation of faithfulness: to our roots, to our present, and to our future.” |
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 | | 24 October 2025, Wadi El Natrun, Egypt: His Grace Anba Hermina, General bishop, Coptic Orthodox Church speaks during a plenary session on Faith in the Middle East during the World Council of Churches Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order taking place 24-28 October 2025 in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, around the theme “Where now for visible unity?” Photo:Albin Hillert/WCC |
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Rev. Dr Rima Nasrallah, academic dean of the Near East School of Theology, Lebanon, noted that, in the Middle East, “where God and religion are used to justify violence and oppression, to dispossess, vilify and eliminate the other, we need to accept the risk. We accept the risk because we believe that we have a role to play in the transformation of our societies—and we who are natives to these lands, who know the culture and share in the pain, can best fulfil this role.” She continued, “We embrace the risk so we can counter hatred with love, pain with understanding, and suffering with compassion. We embrace this risk together, as the churches of the Middle East. We also invite you all not to shy away from risk but to walk with us as equal companions, not to secure our own survival, but for the life we share with the most vulnerable among us.” Honoring the witness Father Dr Karam Shamasha, provost of the Catholic University in Erbil, Iraq, said: “Christians in the Middle East, through their experiences in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and other nations where they face persecution, enrich our global understanding of faith and unity. They show us that faith is not just a set of beliefs we recite; it is a way of life demonstrated through the witness of action, through our action and presence, and if necessary, for which we are willing to sacrifice our lives.” He added, “As the universal church, let us work together to honor the witness of persecuted Christians and respond to their call for a unity that is not just spoken but truly visible through solidarity and communion.” |
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 | | 24 October 2025, Wadi El Natrun, Egypt: Rev. Rima Nasrallah, Academic Dean of the Near East School of Theology, Lebanon, speaks during a plenary session on Faith in the Middle East during the World Council of Churches Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order taking place 24-28 October 2025 in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, around the theme “Where now for visible unity?” Photo:Albin Hillert/WCC |
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Rt. Rev. Archimandrite Jack Khalil, dean of the St John of Damascus Institute of Theology, Lebanon, expressed the extent of the suffering of the people of the region, emphasizing the depth of their steadfast faith in the face of all challenges. He pointed out: “Christians in the Middle East revived their faith from their teachers, not only in words, but also by consecrating their lives to Christ." Dr Audeh Quawas, member of the executive committees of both the World Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches, talked about the suffering of the people of Palestine, especially the Christians, and their most prominent challenges today. The Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order is being held under the theme "Where now for visible unity?" from 24-29 October at the Papal Logos Centre. Video recording of the thematic session As World Conference on Faith and Order opens in Egypt, hearts and minds look to unity (WCC news release, 25 October 2025) Conference livestreams and recordings Photogallery: Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, 2025 Learn more about the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order |
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 | 6th World Conference on Faith & Order: Faith in the Middle East |
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