The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) called yesterday for the immediate lifting of sanctions imposed on Syria. They charge that the current blockade has prevented them from carrying out relief operations for the earthquake throughout the country. “We urge the immediate lifting of sanctions on Syria and allowing access to all materials, so sanctions may not turn into a crime against humanity,” said the attendees of the Council in a
statement. They “called on the international community and the international Ecumenical family to provide urgent emergency aid to the region, in coordination with the Middle East Council of Churches, the Churches, and their affiliated institutions.” (https://www.mecc.org/mecc/2023/2/6/after-the-earthquake-which-hit-the-north-of-the-middle-east )
For their part, “despite their limited resources as a result of the blockade, all the Churches in the Middle East have put their resources at the disposal of the affected and displaced people due to the earthquake, since the first moments of the disaster.”
The churches “will spare no effort in doing all they can to relieve their pain and lead them towards prosperity and progress,” continued the statement, stressing that the Churches in the Middle East “always support their people.”
Founded in 1974, the MECC is headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, and includes the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Evangelical Churches, and the Catholic Churches of the region.
The MECC call was issued the same day as the statement by The Schiller Institute, written by founder Helga Zepp LaRouche.
