Prince
Charles has reportedly donated a generous amount to a Christian support group
in the Middle East and has invited refugees to his homes in Scotland and in
London, seeing the threat to Christianity in its cradle as an important issue.
On
Sunday, the Daily
Mail learned that Prince Charles has funded Aid to the Church in Need,
a Christian support group that helps persecuted believers in the Middle East.
The British royalty also welcomed Christian refugees at Birkhall in Scotland
and Clarence House in London.
"Prince
Charles wants to meet refugees directly affected by what is happening in the
Middle East," said John Pontifex of ACN, according to the publication.
"He is keen to listen and it's very clear he sees this as a vital issue.
He sees an existential threat to Christianity in the very part of the world
where it was founded."
On
his visit to Italy on Tuesday, Prince Charles is expected to discuss the plight
of the persecuted believers with Pope Francis.
This
is not the first time that Prince Charles has publicly expressed his concern
for persecuted Christians and other religious minorities. In December, he took
to Radio 4's Thought for the Day to say that the persecution of believers is
"not widely appreciated" and to shine the spotlight on the lack or
absence of religious freedom in different parts of the word, the Catholic
Herald reported ahead of Christmas.
"Clearly
for such people religious freedom is a daily stark choice between life and
death," Prince Charles said in December. "The scale of religious
persecution around the world is not widely appreciated, nor is it limited to
Christians in the troubled regions of the Middle East."
In
addition, the prince cited a report noting the increasing attacks on other
religious minorities. He said the intolerance is reminiscent of the occurrences
in the 1930s. Towards the end of his message, Prince Charles called for respect
and acceptance of other people's rights regardless of one's religious belief.
