The Middle East Council of Churches met in Cairo with the Catholicos Aram I, the Catholicos of the Armenian Orthodox in Lebanon, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Patriarch of the Syriac Catholics and the head of the Lutheran Church in the holy land.
The meeting was hosted by the Coptic Orthodox Church, headed by Pope Tawadros II.
The council reviewed the situation of refugees and displaced persons from conflict in the Middle East and the suffering of Christians in Syria and Iraq.
Stressing the importance of Christian unity, the council called for unifying the date of the Resurrection celebration.
The meeting also touched on the relationship between the churches of the Middle East and those of the West, and tackled the Christian-Muslim dialogue as a fundamental pillar for partnership in the homeland.
The council called on Arab and Muslim leaders to preserve religious pluralism, it being the most precious treasure in the East and in the Islamic civilization.
It also thanked the Middle Eastern countries that received displaced families.
The council also stressed the need to elect a president in Lebanon, the only country for Christians in the Middle East’s Asian mainland.
At the end of the meeting, the council prayed for Egypt's security and peace.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
