CCA grieves for victims of explosion in Beirut, Lebanon

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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06 August 2020
A visual of the recent explosion in Beirut. Photograph by Karim Sokhn.

CHIANG MAI: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) has expressed its deep sympathy for the victims of the explosion in Beirut and the victims’ families.

A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, 4 August 2020, flattening much of the city's port and damaging buildings across the Lebanese capital. It has killed more than 100 people and left around 4,000 injured, with many still feared trapped under rubble.

In a message of comfort and solidarity issued by the General Secretary of CCA, Dr Mathews George Chunakara said, “We share the grief of the Lebanese people and uphold the victims and families in our prayers. During this critical time in Lebanon, our thoughts are with the affected people and we stand in solidarity with those who are experiencing this painful situation and living amidst fear and deep anxiety.”

The cause of the blast was not immediately known; however, preliminary investigations revealed that the explosion was not a premeditated act, but was caused due to the ignition of 2,750 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical intended for use in the manufacturing of fertilisers and bombs.

The chemical, stockpiled through confiscation, had been stored in the Beirut port warehouse for over six years without any safety measures, endangering the safety of the people residing in the vicinity of the Beirut port.

The explosion that rocked Beirut comes at an unpropitious time for Lebanon as the pandemic-related restrictions have exacerbated the country’s deep and long-running financial crisis. Before the COVID-19 lockdown, the Lebanese government was also dealing with anti-government protests against the country’s ruling political class and endemic corruption.

The Lebanese economy has been in a free fall for about a year, and as the Lebanese currency has plummetted, food prices have soared. Beirut’s main port, now completely damaged, was vital for the import of much of Lebanon’s food stocks, grains, and fuel. This has spurred fears of widespread food insecurity in the short term, as all the grain stored at the port has been destroyed.

The Catholicosate of CCA’s member church, the Armenian Orthodox Church in Iran, which is part of the Armenian Orthodox Church, Holy See of Cilicia, is headquartered in Antelias, Lebanon.

The Executive Committee of the CCA met in Antelias, Lebanon, for its annual meeting in July 2018 and was hosted by the Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia. The meeting of the CCA Executive Committee held in Lebanon was an ecumenical milestone as it took place outside of the ‘traditional orbit’ of the Asian ecumenical movement.

The full text of the CCA General Secretary's message of comfort and solidarity on the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, can be accessed here.