In 2016 Christmas Thought for the Day, Prince Charles spoke out against religious persecution and urged respect for those of different faiths.
Prince Charles opened his Christmas Thought for the Day broadcast for BBC Radio 4 with the story of a recent meeting with a Jesuit priest from Syria.
“He gave me a graphic account of what life is like for those Christians he was forced to leave behind,” the Prince stated. “He told me of mass kidnappings in parts of Syria and Iraq and how he feared that Christians will be driven en masse out of lands described in the Bible. He thought it quite possible there will be no Christians in Iraq within five years. Clearly, for such people, religious freedom is a daily, stark choice between life and death.”
The Prince of Wales expresses concern not only for Christians but for members of all faiths. The extent of religious persecution “is not widely appreciated,” he said, citing attacks on Yazidis, Jews, Ahmadis, Baha’is and many other minority faiths and the “even more insidious forms of extremism [that] have recently surfaced, which aim to eliminate all types of religious diversity.”
Evoking the specter of “the horrors of the past” with the attempt in his parents’ generation to “exterminate the Jewish population of Europe,” Prince Charles lamented “That nearly 70 years later, we should still be seeing such evil persecution is, to me, beyond all belief.”
The Prince reminded listeners that the story of the Nativity was actually the story of a family fleeing persecution, that the Prophet Mohammed fled Mecca for Medina in search of religious freedom.
“Whichever religious path we follow, the destination is the same—to value and respect the other person, accepting their right to live out their peaceful response to the love of God.”
His message included these words: “Whichever religious path we follow, the destination is the same—to value and respect the other person, accepting their right to live out their peaceful response to the love of God.”
To read the full message: http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/media/speeches/hrh-the-prince-of-wales-presents-thought-the-day-bbc-radio-4
