His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received the apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop William Shomali.

Discussions at the meeting—attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammed, chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy to His Majesty—touched on the importance of enhancing interfaith dialogue to promote tolerance and coexistence.

Talks also focused on Jordan’s efforts, led by King Abdullah, to safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as Arab Christians' role and contributions in this regard.

Jordan was cited as a role model for coexistence, tolerance, and solidarity.

His Majesty expressed his best wishes to Shomali, who has been recently named patriarchal vicar for Jordan.

Pizzaballa praised the King’s efforts, within the Hashemite Custodianship over Islamic and Christian shrines in Jerusalem, to safeguard holy sites against frequent Israeli violations.

He also expressed appreciation for His Majesty’s role in working towards regional peace and stability, and promoting dialogue and tolerance among the followers of different faiths.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan also attended the meeting.