London, December 2006. The 2006 Christmas Reception of Grand Magistral Delegation for Inter-Religious Relations and the British and Irish Delegation was hosted by the Moroccan Ambassador to the Court of St James’s, HE Mr Mohammed Belmahi, at his London residence. Grand Magistral Delegate HE Anthony Bailey and British & Irish Delegate Lord Brennan of Bibury attended the event held to raise charitable funds for Catholic charities in Morocco.
Over 100 knights, dames and their guests attended including leaders of the faith communities in Britain, Ambassadors and other diplomats accredited to the Court of St James’s as well as members of the House of Lords and House of Commons. The Southend Boys Choir sang Christmas carols throughout the two hour event.
Among the 100 guests attending were the Ambassadors and Charge d’Affaires of Andorra Bulgaria, Ireland, Syria, the Political Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat, HE Matthew Neuhaus, Sir Sigmund and Lady Sternberg, Lady Brennan, Mrs Mavis Badawi, Sir Michael Craig-Cooper, Sir David and Lady Durie, The Venerable William Noblett, Chaplain General to HM Prisons, Fr Michael Seed, Canon Flora Winfield, Deacon Meliton Richard Oakes, Joseph Gaggero and British actor Christopher Lee.
In a speech the Grand Magistral Delegate for Inter-Religious Relations Relations HE Anthony Bailey said, “For some it might seem a little odd that the Ambassador of the King of Morocco is hosting here on Moroccan soil an event to mark the great Christian feast of Christmas together with members of a Roman Catholic Order, coupled with an Anglican choir, and surrounded tonight by the followers of all the Abrahamic faiths.
Yet as a Catholic, I cannot help but remember that it was His late Majesty, King Hassan II, who was the first Arab leader to invite the late Pope John Paul II to not only visit Morocco, but also to celebrate an open air mass. “
“It is also worth noting that several of Your Excellency’s predecessors as Ambassadors to the Court of St James’s since the reign of Elizabeth I have been Jewish. And in 2007, thanks to the active support and high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, a major exhibition of Bibles, Torahs and Korans will be shown at the British Library.
“History shows us countless examples of how religious belief endures far longer than national or ethnic allegiances, and is therefore crucial in helping to unite different groups within any one society.
“When we work together, by forging and deepening our common bonds our influence and our effects are much greater, and society as a whole benefits as a result irrespective of our individual faith or the seemingly growing secular world around us”.