A delegation of the World Council of Churches is also present at the Interreligious Conference in Madrid. The Conference scheduled from 14th to 18th July – was promoted by the Muslim World League, by initiative of the King of Saudi Arabia, Abdallah. The Conference is gathering about 200 Muslim, Hebrew and Christian religious authorities. Patriarch Abune Paulos, leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, from the ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, are part of the delegation of the World Council of Churches. While making known the news, the World Council of Churches recalled that "Islam is the State’s official religion in Saudi Arabia, while non-Muslim religious symbols and faiths are banned in the territory of the Kingdom". In the name of Pope Benedict XVI, Card. Jean Louis Tauran, president of the Papal Council for Interreligious Dialogue, is taking part in the Conference.
