Charles speaks of his anguish at the plight of Christianity in the Middle East

The video below was played at the House of Lords last November when Prince Charles spoke of his anguish at the plight of Christianity in the Middle East, the region of its birth.

In the message, the heir to the throne also urged faith leaders to ensure believers have respect for other religions instead of remaining ‘silent’ over the suffering of minorities. The message remains valid some 5 months on, perhaps even more so after recent event in the ‘Holy Land’. 

The text of the Prince's message reads as follows:

'The horrendous and heart-breaking events in Iraq and Syria have brought the subject of religious freedom and persecution to the forefront of the world's news.

'We have learnt with mounting despair of the expulsion of Christians, Muslims and Yazidis from towns and cities that their ancestors have occupied for centuries.

'Sadly, incidents of violence in Iraq and Syria are not isolated. They are found throughout some, though not all, of the Middle East; in some African nations; and in many countries across Asia. 

'Thankfully, despite this bleak picture, there are inspirational people of different faiths joining together to overcome division and hatred.

'It is a well established principle of inter-faith dialogue that we judge each other by the best expressions of our faith, rather than our worst. 

'Over several decades, I have been working to encourage dialogue and greater understanding between different faith traditions. Indeed, last December, I hosted a reception at Clarence House in response to the growing plight of Christians threatened by persecution in the Middle East.

'Having listened to their concerns, I did my best to highlight the gravity of the crisis. In February, during a visit to the Middle East, I attended an inter-faith dialogue which included key Christian and Muslim scholars and clergy during which we discussed the Christian-Muslim relationship.

'It is an indescribable tragedy that Christianity is now under such threat in the Middle East, an area where Christians have lived for 2,000 years and across which Islam spread in 700AD with people of different faiths living together peaceably for centuries.

'It seems to me that our future as a free society – both here in Britain and throughout the world – depends on recognising the crucial role played by people of faith.

'And of course religious faith is all the more convincing to those outside the faith when it is expressed with humility and compassion, giving space to others whatever their beliefs.

'With this in mind I would like to suggest several tangible courses of action which I believe might be helpful. 

'First and foremost, rather than remaining silent, faith leaders have a responsibility it seems to me to ensure people within their own tradition respect people from other faith traditions.

'We have yet to see the full potential of faith communities working together, however, to do this effectively requires not only maturity in one's own faith but also in essential humility.

'I believe that to speak to another faith tradition and to defend those who follow it, it is profoundly helpful to speak from the core of one's own core spiritual experience.

'My own Christian faith has enabled me to speak to and to listen to people from other traditions including Islam and, as Pope Francis has recently said, such interfaith dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world and should be seen as a duty for all Christians, as well as for believers from other religious communities.  

'Such efforts aimed at peace and mediation are possible. The report from Aid to the Church in Need highlights the example of a Muslim Imam, a Catholic Archbishop and a Protestant Minister coming together to form an inter-religious peace group in the Central African Republic. 

'These seeds of hope can germinate even in nations and regions torn apart by war and violence. 

'Secondly it is essential that governments honour their duty to uphold the right of people to practice their faith.

'Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of human rights is clear in stating this right includes the right to change one's religion or belief. Yet even in the west this right is often challenge

'Sadly, in many other countries, an absence of freedom to determine one's own faith is woven into the laws and customs of the nation.'