His Majesty King Abdullah received the Right Reverend Sani Ibrahim Azar, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and the accompanying delegation at Al Husseiniya Palace on Sunday.

The meeting covered Jordan’s key efforts, led by King Abdullah, to safeguard holy sites in Jerusalem and preserve their Arab identity, while countering attempts to change the city’s character.

His Majesty reaffirmed Jordan’s commitment to its historical role in safeguarding Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites, in line with the Hashemite Custodianship, noting the Kingdom’s commitment to defending church property at various international forums.

The King stressed that Christian holy sites are given the same care and attention accorded to Islamic holy sites.

For his part, Bishop Azar underlined the importance of the Hashemite Custodianship in safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, expressing appreciation for His Majesty’s efforts to seek regional peace and stability, and to spread the values of dialogue, tolerance, and moderation.

Bishop Azar, who has been recently elected to lead the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land succeeding Bishop Munib Younan, also highlighted the challenges facing churches in Jerusalem, as Israel intends to impose taxes on church property, which had been exempt from fees in the holy city.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.