King of Jordan: Christians are an integral part of Middle East’s future

AMMAN – King Abdullah II of Jordan met with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, in Husayniyah Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan. Patriarch Kirill was in Jordan to participate in a fraternal gathering of Orthodox dignitaries their representatives.

The Churches of Jerusalem, Moscow, Serbia, Romania, Poland, and Czech-Slovak attending the gathering. The Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Cyprus, Georgia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania chose not to attend.

The meeting was also attended by Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, a number of King Abdullah’s advisers, and the Russian Ambassador to Jordan.

During the meeting, King Abdullah II expressed his pride in the strong relations that tie Jordan with Russia, praising the increasing numbers of Russian Christian pilgrims to the holy places in Jordan, including the location of the Baptism of Jesus Christ.

King Abdullah II stressed the importance of protecting the Christian presence in the region, as they are an integral part of the origin and the future of the Middle East.

The King also affirmed that, in his capacity as Hashemite guardian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, he will continue to make every effort to protect these holy sites.