Pope, Jordan鈥檚 King Abdullah, discuss Trump鈥檚 Jerusalem move

Pope Francis poses with Jordan鈥檚 King Abdullah II during a private meeting at the Vatican on Tuesday, Dec.19, 2017. (Pool Photo via AP)

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis and Jordan鈥檚 King Abdullah on Tuesday discussed US President Donald Trump鈥檚 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel鈥檚 capital, a move that both say is dangerous to Middle East peace.
Abdullah and the pope spoke privately for about 20 minutes at the start of the king鈥檚 visit to the Vatican and France.
A Vatican statement said they discussed 鈥渢he promotion of peace and stability in the Mideast, with particular reference to the question of Jerusalem and the role of the Hashemite Sovereign as Custodian of the Holy Places.鈥�
King Abdullah鈥檚 Hashemite dynasty is the custodian of the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, making Amman sensitive to any changes of status of the disputed city.
When Trump announced his decision on Dec. 6, the pope responded by calling for the city鈥檚 鈥渟tatus quo鈥� to be respected, saying new tension in the Middle East would further inflame world conflicts.
Among an outpouring of international criticism, Jordan also rejected the US decision, calling it legally 鈥渘ull鈥� because it consolidated Israel鈥檚 occupation of the eastern sector of the city.
The United States was further isolated over the issue on Monday when it blocked a UN Security Council call for the declaration to be withdrawn.
Both the Vatican and Jordan back a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with them agreeing on the status of Jerusalem as part of the peace process.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, whereas Israel has declared the whole city to be its 鈥渦nited and eternal鈥� capital.
The statement said both sides wanted to encourage negotiations.