Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania meet Pope Francis at Vatican

Jordanian ruler also meets the UK's King Charles III at Buckingham Palace

Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Photo: @RHCJO / Twitter

Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday, days after the pontiff returned from his first visit to Bahrain.

They discussed "the need to sustain interfaith dialogue, promote coexistence and protect the Christian presence in the region", Jordan's Royal Hashemite Court said.

More than 114,000 Catholics live in the kingdom, making up about 1.9 per cent of the population.

Queen Rania wore a loosely draped sheer headscarf over a black dress with white cuffs and detailing, meeting Vatican protocol for women who have an audience with the Pope.

King Abdullah also met Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal Pietro Parolin for talks on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and coexistence in the region.

The Pope visited Jordan in 2014. He held a Mass for 1,400 people in Amman International Stadium after meeting King Abullah at Al Hussein Royal Palace.

The pontiff later travelled to Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

King Abdullah meets the UK's King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. PA

The king's visit to the Vatican came days after Pope Francis concluded a four-day trip to Bahrain, where he met members of the nation's Catholic community and held talks with Muslim religious leaders.

King Abdullah also met the UK's King Charles III on Thursday at London's Buckingham Palace.

Papal visits to the Middle East - in pictures

Pope Paul VI (Giovanni Montini) with King Hussein during a papal visit to Jordan in January 1964. Getty Images

Pope Paul VI, centre, visits the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes in Taghba, lower Galilee, on January 5, 1964. AFP

Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) and Patriarch Athenagoras of Istanbul meet in Turkey in December 1979. Getty Images

On May 11, 1997, Pope John Paul II held a Mass on Beirut seafront during his visit to Lebanon. AFP

Pope John Paul II and Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic Orthodox Church at an ecumenical service at Our Lady of Egypt Cathedral in Cairo on February 25, 2000. Pope John Paul made a three-day trip to Egypt that year. Reuters PH/WS

Pope John Paul ll greets Muslims and Christians at the entrance to the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, on May 6, 2001. The meeting with Muslim scholars meant John Paul became the first pope on record to set foot inside a mosque. Photo: Newsmakers

Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) is welcomed by Mustafa Cagrici, left, Mufti of Istanbul, and imam Emrullah Hatipoglu, right, as he arrives at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul on November 30, 2006. Getty Images

Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives in Harissa, near Beirut, for a meeting with youths during his visit to Lebanon on September 15, 2012. Reuters

The landmark visit of Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) to Abu Dhabi in February 2019 was broadcast around the world. Victor Besa / The National

Pope Francis holds a Mass at Franso Hariri Stadium in Erbil, Iraq, on March 7, 2021. Reuters