His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday called on Christian leaders to help bring an end to the sectarian strife that is threatening both Arab Muslims and Christians in the Middle East.

Addressing Western and Arab church leaders gathered in Amman for a first-of-its-kind conference on the challenges to Arab Christian communities, King Abdullah urged clergymen to play a greater role in curbing extremism and sectarian tensions.

The meeting came as Christian and Muslim religious leaders gathered for the conference that started on Tuesday and was opened by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi, the King’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and his personal envoy, deputising for the King.

“Our region is undergoing a state of violence and intra-religious, sectarian, as well as ideological conflicts,” the King said in his remarks at the meeting with conference participants.

“These common challenges and difficulties that we face as Muslims and Christians necessitate concerted efforts and full cooperation among us all to overcome,” His Majesty added.