Prince voices concern for persecuted Christians

The Prince of Wales has expressed his concern about the plight of Middle Eastern Christians and is visiting members of their communities in the UK next week, writes Christopher Lamb.

On Tuesday, the Prince is due to travel to the Coptic Orthodox Church Centre in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, followed by a visit to the Syrian Orthodox Church, St Thomas Cathedral in Acton, west London. Later that day, at Clarence House, he is to host a reception to celebrate Christian communities in the Middle East and faith leaders including the Archbishop of Westminster, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbi are due to be present.

In a statement, Clarence House said: “The Prince has expressed concern about the current challenges facing Christians in some Middle Eastern nations and wanted to meet members of those communities resident in the UK to find out more.” In recent years, there has been an exodus of Christians from the Middle East due to sectarian violence and persecution.

The statement added that during Advent “the Prince of Wales wants to draw attention to the importance of harmony and understanding between peoples of all faiths.”

At the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Prince will hear from members of the Orthodox community about the experiences of their relatives in the Middle East. Prince Charles will be accompanied on his visits by Prince Ghazi of Jordan, the author of “a common word initiative” which was sent in 2007 to Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders calling for peace between Islam and Christianity.