Patriarch Pizzaballa underlined the importance of the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He also highly valued the efforts exerted by Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, as well as his role in preserving and defending the city and its sanctities in various forums.
On Wednesday, January 13, Senate President Faisal Al Fayez received Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem His Beatitude Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa at the Senate.
During the meeting, Patriarch Pizzaballa underlined the importance of the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He also highly valued the efforts exerted by Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, as well as his role in preserving and defending the city and its sanctities in various forums.
Patriarch Pizzaballa referred to the “exceptional relationship” that he felt between the Palestinian people in general and the people of Jerusalem on the one hand and the Hashemite leadership on the other, stating that he saw pictures of His Majesty the King in the homes he visited in Jerusalem and others reflecting the impressive common living prevailing in Jordan. He pointed out that Jordan–under the leadership of His Majesty the King, with his political wisdom and acumen, as well as with the awareness of his people– was able to preserve its security and stability despite the prevailing challenges and conflicts.
For His part, Senate President Faisal Al-Fayez called on the nation’s ulema, politicians, intellectuals, and clerics to enhance the common denominators among the followers of the Abrahamic religions and to spread the values of love, tolerance and moderation among the various social and religious components, so that our nation can face the challenges and difficult circumstances it is going through, especially in light of reports relevant to “the deal of the century” and Israel’s continued racist and feverish practices designed to Judaize Jerusalem as well as its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
He added that Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah never abandoned supporting the just issues of our Arab nation, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue.
Al-Fayez added that His Majesty the King exerts huge and continuous efforts designed to protect Islamic and Christian holy sites in noble Jerusalem based on his religious and historical responsibilities and on the Hashemite custodianship. He stressed that this custodianship has all the times been the definite guarantee to protect our sanctities from tampering and Judaization.
Al-Fayez affirmed that we in Jordan, with our various religious and social components, have always been brothers united by the love of the homeland and its purity, under the triumphant Hashemite leadership where we consequently presented a model of fraternity between Muslims and Christians. So, all of our social and religious components of society live in the spirit of cooperation, tolerance, national belonging, and loyalty to the Hashemite leadership.
Al-Fayez went on to say: “We pride ourselves in Jordan on being blessed with a wise Hashemite leadership, which has always devoted efforts to spreading the culture of common living; love; harmony; as well as promoting human values; rejecting the culture of hatred, violence, extremism; and capitalizing on the common values in order to maintain stability of humanity, in addition to respect for religions and prophets.
Patriarch Pizzaballa was accompanied on the visit by Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop William Shomali, Charge d’Affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Amman Monsignor Mauro Lalli, President of the Latin ecclesiastical Court Fr. Dr. Jihad Shwaihat, Director f the Catholic Center for Studies and Media Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader, and Secretary General of the Latin Vicariate Fr. Imad Alamat.
By: Munir Bayouk
Source: en.abouna.org
