Prado in the East is made up of Pradosians in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Egypt.
An assembly of this Prado was held from 28 August to 1 September 2023 at the Convent of the Transfiguration, run by the Jesuits in Teffehah, Syria.
It was an opportunity to elect the new head of Prado Erigé, Father Kamil Melhem, as well as the members of the Council of Prado d'Orient: R.R. (Regional Heads) Simon Constantin, Elias Adess, Fadi Farouk, Youssef Assaf. The originality of Prado in the East lies in the diversity of rites of the Church in the East, even from the same country. They are of the Maronite, Greek-Melkite and Coptic rites.
In this assembly, lay people who are associated with Prado d'Orient also met to give themselves a new leader and to set up the organisation that will bring together all the lay people, whatever their nationality or the rite to which they belong. In fact, in each of these three countries, there are groups of lay people close to or associated with Prado; in addition, three women are consecrated lay people in the Women's Institute of Prado.
This week has been both joyful and serious. We talked about training, the situation in different countries, and the important role of the Churches in supporting the poorest people, who are victims of wars or great economic disparities. The Greek bishop Mgr Jacques Mourad came to give his testimony during the retreat that opened the meeting.
