Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania and HRH Crown Prince welcome Pope Francis to Jordan
Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein on Saturday welcomed at the al Husseiniyeh Palace Pope Francis, who arrived in Amman at the start of a two-day pilgrimage to the Kingdom. Also welcoming the pontiff were Their Royal Highnesses Prince Hashem and Princesses Iman and Salma.
Pope Francis was accorded an official reception at the palace, where he arrived to a 21-gun salute as a guard of honour greeted him and a brass band played the national anthems of the Vatican and Jordan. During a meeting with the Pope, attended by Queen Rania and Crown Prince Al Hussein, King Abdullah stressed the importance of the papal visit and the message of love, solidarity, coexistence, peace and fraternity he carried to the entire region.
His Majesty said the Pope's trip is an important step on the road to cement the bonds of brotherhood and tolerance between Muslims and Christians and to enhance the message of peace that all faiths uphold.
King Abdullah and Pope Francis discussed Jordanian-Vatican ties and ways of strengthening them in various fields, emphasising the need to deepen and maintain links between the Muslim and Christian worlds through the pursuit of dialogue, coexistence and maximizing common values. They also exchanged souvenirs on the occasion of the Pope's visit to the Kingdom, his first since his election as head of the Catholic Church.
In a welcome speech before a number of princes and senior officials, His Majesty said it is a special honour that the Pope's pilgrimage to the Holy Land begins in Jordan, the land of faith, where Muslims and Christians are building a shared future, on the common ground of mutual respect, peace and devotion to God.
Pope Francis also addressed the meeting, commending Jordan for hosting refugees who had fled regional crises, and noted the initiatives undertaken by the Kingdom to enhance inter-faith dialogue and understanding.
