UK: The King attends Advent service celebrating faith communities
King Charles III has appeared at a special Advent service this morning (Tuesday, 17th December) at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street in Mayfair, London, co-hosted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
The service celebrated the courage and perseverance of Christian communities and reflected on the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Mosul and the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq by Daesh (ISIS).
As part of the proceedings, The King was introduced to representatives of the London-based Iraqi Christian diaspora, including individuals who suffered persecution and forced displacement when Daesh seized the Nineveh Plains.
His Majesty also met with members of the 175-year-old Jesuit parish – including those involved in outreach initiatives supporting the homeless and others in need – and ACN representatives.
Dr Caroline Hull, national director at ACN (UK), said: “Throughout their long history dating back to the 1st century, the Christians of Iraq have been no strangers to suffering.
“But little could prepare them for the terrors that would be inflicted both on them and so many other communities in recent years.
Dr Hull added: “Since his time as Prince of Wales, The King has shown profound and unstinting compassion, going out of his way to hear the personal stories of the afflicted faithful.
She went on to say: “The King’s constant concern has been a huge source of encouragement for us at ACN.”
ACN has supported the rebuilding of churches and homes in the Christian town of Qaraqosh and other settlements in the Nineveh Plains, enabling thousands of families to return to their homeland.
Dr Hull said: “The journey towards restoration and renewal has been a long and sometimes painful one – and there is still a long way to go towards full recovery.
King Charles III at the Advent service in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in London (© Marcin Mazur / ACN).
“But that they have achieved so much and completed the work so quickly is a tribute to the compassion, the care and concern their friends and benefactors have shown them. Such help came at a time when they sorely needed it.”
ACN has also helped establish the Catholic University in Erbil in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, where most Christian families sought refuge after the Daesh invasion.