The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) will hold its first meeting in September without the presence of Pope Shenouda III, head of Egypt's Coptic Christian Church. The conference will study Christian existence in the Middle East. There will be no representative from the Coptic Orthodox Church. Pope Shenouda decided to withdraw from the meeting after the Patriarch of Jerusaelm, Theophilus III, accused the Coptic Church of betraying the Jesus covenant. The meeting seeks to solve the problems between the Middle East and Coptic churches and also to study the changes taking place in the region. In related news, Pope Shenouda recently met Egyptian Ambassador to Syria Mohamed Mustafa to discuss the current incidents in Syria. Shenouda wished peace and prosperity on the Syrian people and also said the hopes that things in Syria do not go as far as in Libya and that there is no foreign military interference.