AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah received on Wednesday a delegation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church, headed by Bishop Imad Haddad, the newly elected head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

 

During the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace and attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, His Majesty affirmed Jordan’s continued support for the Christian presence in Jerusalem, based on the Hashemite Custodianship of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, according to a Royal Court statement.

 

The King stressed that Israeli attacks on Christians’ right to worship and freedom of access to holy sites are unacceptable.

 

His Majesty commended the role of Lutheran churches in promoting values of justice and stability and defending the oppressed through their widespread presence and extensive network of relationships.

 

For his part, Bishop Imad Haddad affirmed the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s continued support for the Hashemite Custodianship of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, noting that this relationship began when the church was recognised by the late King Hussein in 1959, and was renewed by Bishop Munib Younan in 2013.

 

The Evangelical Lutheran Church delegation, comprising bishops from Jerusalem, the United States, Canada, Germany, Norway, Denmark, as well as the president of the Lutheran World Federation, praised the King’s role in supporting interfaith dialogue and protecting the Christian presence in Palestine, Jordan, and the region, the statement said.

 

The delegation said Evangelical Lutheran churches are making significant efforts to counter the Christian Zionist movement and attempts to politicise religion, and expressed condemnation of the war on Gaza and attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.

 

HRH Prince Ghazi, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, and Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh attended the meeting.