Church leaders commend Jordanian king for speaking up for Christians at UN assembly

 — Sept. 29, 202229 sept. 2022

Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant leaders express their “utmost gratitude” to Jordan’s King Abdullah II for his honest description of the Christian reality in the Holy Land.

Patriarchs and heads of Churches in Jerusalem have expressed their gratitude to Jordan’s King Abdullah II for telling the UN General Assembly about Christians in Jerusalem and his promise to help preserve the city’s Christian identity.

The Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders in a statement said they “express our utmost gratitude and appreciation” to the king “for his true and honest description of the Christian reality” in the Holy Land, especially in Jerusalem and said they applauded him for his “public commitment to protect our communities’ historical and legal status quo, thus preserving our safety and future.”

The king’s “warning over the deteriorating situation of Christian basic human rights sends a strong message to the world regarding the clear and present dangers surrounding the Christian heritage and presence in Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land,” the Church leaders said September 27.

“We call on the International Community as a whole, and all peace-loving people around the world, to act upon His Majesty’s warning addressed in his United Nations speech,” they said.

King Abdullah, monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is the “protector” of the Islamic and Christian Holy Places in Jerusalem.

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“As custodians of Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites, we are committed to protecting the historical and legal status quo and to their safety and future,” the king said at the 77th annual UN General Assembly in New York.

“And as a Muslim leader, let me say clearly, that we are committed to defending the rights, precious heritage and historic identity of the Christian people of our region,” he said.

“The rights of churches in Jerusalem are threatened. This cannot continue. Christianity is vital to the past and present of our region and the Holy Land. It must remain an integral part of our future,” King Abdullah said.

“Today, the future of Jerusalem is an urgent concern. The city is holy to billions of Muslims, Christians and Jews around the world,” King Abdullah said.

“Undermining Jerusalem’s legal and historical status quo triggers global tensions and deepens religious divides. The holy city must not be a place for hatred and division,” he told the gathering of world leaders.

Recently there have been tensions and clashes around the Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, particularly in Temple Mount, known as Haram al-Sharif or referred to as the Al-Aqsa compound by Muslims — Judaism’s holiest site and Islam’s third holiest. It was built by Umayyad ruler Abd Al Malik Ibn Marwan in the late seventh century.

There have also been restrictions imposed by Israel on the number of worshipers in and around the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as was done during Holy Week past April.

King Abdullah has often stressed the historical and religious responsibility of safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite Custodianship, as well as protecting the rights of Muslim and Christian worshippers.

He also works with regional and international partners to end violations in Jerusalem and coordinates with other Arab political leaders to take action against any violations that endanger the coexistence of the different faith communities in the Holy City.

Posted: Sept. 29, 2022 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=12540
Categories: La CroixIn this article: Holy Land, Jerusalem, Middle East
Transmis : 29 sept. 2022 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=12540
Catégorie : La CroixDans cet article : Holy Land, Jerusalem, Middle East


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