His Majesty King Abdullah started his visit to Moscow on Thursday by meeting with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and with Russia Mufties Council Chairman Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque; with His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammed, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, in attendance.

Speaking at the meeting, King Abdullah thanked Patriarch Kirill for the warm welcome and for expressing views on mutual challenges. “This is a time for all of us to stand together, shoulder to shoulder, to express what unites us in this world,” the King noted.

Commending “the strong moral position” of the Russian Orthodox Church at home and across the world, His Majesty said: “The belief that to love thy God and love thy neighbour is what binds us together.”

“Your influence in our part of the world, your voice in our part of the world is desperately needed in this time,” the King told Patriarch Kirill.

Noting the global efforts to fight the scourge of international terrorism, and Russia’s role in this regard, His Majesty said that another major challenge is strengthening “Christian communities in our region, in Palestine, and—more importantly I think—in Jerusalem”.

“Christian Orthodoxy has been part of our past. It is, today, our present; and it must, must be part of our future. And if that is not the case, then we will all pay the price.” the King asserted.

“We observe, and recognise, and commend the role that the Russian Orthodox Church has played in Syria, not only in reaching out to protect our Christian brethren there, but also, your support has gone to the weak and the disenfranchised… as we in Jordan have welcomed our Christian brethren who flee violence both in Syria and Iraq from these oppressive terrorist organisations,” His Majesty said.

The King stressed that Jordan’s role also entails making sure that “our Christian brethren” can go back to their homes in Syria and Iraq, “because those communities are ancient communities”.

His Majesty also highlighted Jordan’s efforts in launched the Amman Message to identify what is right about Islam and to reach out to other religions.

“One of the outcomes of that is—again, probably not understood in the international community—is that if Muslims in nations outside of our region are given equal rights as citizens as part of that nation, their loyalty is to that nation, not to the centres of Islam in our part of the world,” the King explained.

“To paraphrase an old saying, for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing; and we are all good men, and we have to speak in a louder voice of what unites us, what brings us together in this tremendous challenge that we have,” His Majesty said.

For his part, Patriarch Kirill said: “The Russian Orthodox Church attaches great importance to the dialogue that we’ve managed to foster with the leadership of Jordan, and in particular with Your Majesty.”

“I recall our conversation with you back in 2012… how you told me about the inter-religious interactions in Jordan. You told me about the peaceful coexistence of different religions. And certainly, I have had the joy to see that personally,” the Patriarch said.

“So, I would like to congratulate you, Your Majesty, on the policy that you are pursuing with regards to different religions, groups, Muslims, Orthodox Christians—everyone feels at home, feels that they are on an equal footing and that equal opportunities are open before them,” he added.

“I’d like to thank you for maintaining a high level of inter-religious dialogue and cooperation in Jordan,” Patriarch Kirill said.

“When you come to Jordan, you do not feel in any way that you represent a religious minority in this country… all religious groups treat each other with respect. And, certainly, you are to be credited for that to a large extent,” he noted.

“But it is also something that we should credit to your late father, King Hussein,” the Patriarch said, recalling a meeting he had with King Hussein.

“And even back then, we learned from King Hussein how warm the relations were between Muslims and Orthodox Christians in Jordan back then. And you have not just managed to preserve this wonderful tradition, you have also helped to develop it amid the challenges and threats of today,” he added.

Patriarch Kirill also noted that “the Russian Orthodox Church attaches great importance to inter-religious as well as to inter-ethnic dialogue”, stressing the importance of working together “at the international as well as inter-religious bases in order to foster one single front to fight terrorism”.

Discussions at the meeting also covered the major Christian pilgrimage sites in Jordan, such as the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ, where the Russian Orthodox Church has built a Russian Pilgrims’ House.

The two sides discussed the challenges facing churches in Jerusalem, and Jordan’s historical role in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in the city, in line with the Hashemite Custodianship.

During a visit to the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, His Majesty held a meeting with Russia Mufties Council Chairman Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, attended by a number of Muslim scholars in Russia.

Discussions addressed the challenges connected to terrorism and the distortion of the image of Islam.

The King stressed the importance of mosques in highlighting the true image of Islam, which calls for love and peace, and rejects hatred and extremism.

His Majesty said the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan sees defending the true image of Islam as its duty, citing the initiatives launched by Jordan like the “Amman Message”, “A Common Word”, and the World Interfaith Harmony Week, to promote dialogue and understanding among the followers of different religions.

Muslim scholars also have a major role in spreading the values of tolerance and moderation among communities and peoples, while also promoting dialogue and harmony, and highlighting commonalities between followers of different faiths, the King added.

For his part, Sheikh Gaynutdin expressed appreciation for His Majesty’s efforts to show the true image of Islam at various international forums.

He also affirmed the importance of the “Amman Message”, launched by Jordan in 2004, and thanked the King for supporting Muslim communities.

Sheikh Gaynutdin stressed Jordan’s key role in the pursuit of peace and stability in the Middle East, highlighting His Majesty’s efforts to reach just and lasting peace that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He praised the historical role the King continues to undertake in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites, in line with the Hashemite Custodianship.

During the visit, His Majesty signed the guestbook at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque.