King renews support for Christians in Mideast

His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday underlined Jordan’s commitment to protecting the Christian presence in the Palestinian territories and the Middle East in general. During a meeting with heads of Orthodox churches in the Middle East, King Abdullah said the Kingdom is considered a “distinguished” model for coexistence between Muslims and Christians, noting that they are all working as one family to enhance the development and achievement process. The King underlined the significance of the church’s role in spreading the word of peace, harmony and love to serve the human community and achieve further rapprochement among followers of different faiths, according to a Royal Court statement. For their part, the heads of the oriental Orthodox churches commended the Monarch’s efforts to enhance dialogue between Muslims and Christians and highlight their common values. They underscored the importance of King Abdullah’s initiatives to build bridges of communication among followers of different religions and eradicate misunderstandings between them apart from closeness, intolerance and extremism. They also valued the King’s endeavours to achieve a comprehensive and just peace in the region, in addition to his role in safeguarding the holy sites in Jerusalem.