King receives Archbishop of Canterbury

Amman
02 May 2017

His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday met with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to discuss Jordan's endeavours to safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

Discussions at the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace and attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammed, chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy to His Majesty, also covered the latest regional developments.

The two sides stressed the important role of Arab Christians in the history and the future of the region, with King Abdullah noting Jordan's continuing efforts to protect their presence and identity.

His Majesty said Jordan offers a model of coexistence and harmony between Muslims and Christians.

Talks also touched on Israel’s unilateral measures that threaten Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, with the King stressing Jordan's rejection of any attempts to change the Arab identity of the holy city.

The meeting covered current regional issues, focusing on efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, which are not related to any religion.

For his part, Archbishop Welby praised the Jordanian endeavours, led by His Majesty, to highlight the true image of Islam, also commending the efforts to safeguard the Christian people and sanctuaries in Jerusalem as part of the Hashemite Custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in the city.

He lauded the King’s role in working towards peace and stability in the region and promoting interfaith dialogue and tolerance.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh also attended the meeting.