Prince El Hassan attends closing of regional interfaith conference with call for peace, coexistence

AMMAN — HRH Prince El Hassan, President of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (RIIFS), on Thursday attended the closing ceremony of the conference titled “Christians in the Arab Levant and the Aspirations of Unity and Enlightenment,” which brought together several prominent Christian leaders.

Attended by Muslim and Christian intellectuals, the event concluded with a call for interfaith dialogue, coexistence, and regional stability. Prince El Hassan emphasised the importance of cultivating a regional model rooted in dialogue and “stability for sustainability,” according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Reviewing the two-day conference’s recommendations, Prince El Hassan stressed that enlightenment and unity in the Mashreq require collective will and the development of a roadmap for both elite and grassroots initiatives focused on communication and bridge-building.

The final recommendations called for building on key Islamic declarations issued by Al Azhar to enhance Muslim-Christian relations, and for further developing the “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” initiative, launched by Pope Francis and Grand Imam of Al Azhar Ahmed El Tayeb.

Drawing on discussions during the conference, participants condemned the killing of civilians and the deliberate destruction of hospitals, schools, universities, and places of worship in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. 

They also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and denounced the ongoing violations against Muslim and Christian holy sites in Occupied Jerusalem.

Christian leaders who participated in the conference included Patriarch Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem; Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch; Catholicos Aram I, head of the Armenian Orthodox Catholicosate of Cilicia; Patriarch Ignatius Youssef III Younan of the Syriac Catholic Church; and Patriarch Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian of the Armenian Catholic Church.