The Prince of Wales has called for an end to the "appalling suffering" of Christians in Syria.
The 68-year-old royal attended the consecration of the Syrian Orthodox Church in west London where he gave a speech.
He said: "It is surely deeply encouraging, at a time when the members of the Syriac Orthodox Church in their homelands of Syria and Iraq are undergoing such desperate trials and such appalling suffering, that in Britain the Syriac Church is able to expand and gain in strength."
Prince Charles, who was joined at the ceremony by Archbishop H.E. Mor Athanasius Toma Dawod, added: "May the congregation of this Cathedral, and all the members of the Syriac Orthodox Church, wherever they may be, be blessed with the kind of courage and faith that can ultimately transcend the unbearable misery and anguish that have been so cruelly inflicted upon you, your loved ones and your brethren."
Charles – who is married to Duchess Camilla – has been vocal about the threat to the Orthodox Christian Coptic church in the Middle East region in recent years.
He has also met with Christian Syrians and Iraqis who have been forced to flee their homes because of the rise of Islamic State.
The Grand Imam, Professor Dr Ahmad Al-Tayyeb and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby have previously held separate bilateral talks.
A formal relationship between the offices of the two religious leaders was officially established in 2002 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in a bid to encourage links between the two faiths.
Prince Charles on ‘appalling suffering’ of Christians in Syria
