“You can have no idea how much I feel for those who, as I speak, are suffering for their faith in such terrible circumstances.”

This was the message conveyed by England’s Prince Charles yesterday as he addressed a gathering of Iraqi Chaldean Christians in London.

The Prince of Wales attended a special service at the Holy Family church in Acton to show solidarity with the Chaldeans, a community which continues to suffer at the hands of the militant Islamic State (IS) group now spreading through Iraq.

“I have been deeply distressed by the horrific scenes of violence and persecution coming out of your beloved Iraq,” the prince said. “I know that many of those who have been killed or forced to flee are members of your own families.The pain and grief must be quite unimaginable as you see them persecuted because of their faith.”

Referencing the wanton slaughter carried out by IS, the prince said its practices were bringing the world back to “the dark ages” and decried such actions carried out in the name of religion.

“It seems to me,” he said, “that all faiths to some extent shine a light on the divine image in every human life. If that is so then surely to destroy another human being is to desecrate the image of the divine and to do so in the name of faith is nothing less than a blasphemy.”

Prince Charles has previously demonstrated his solidarity with the Christian community in Iraq, notably in September when he made a public donation via Aid to the Church in Need towards assisting the struggling community.

At yesterday’s service, Prince Charles was greeted by Archbishop Habib Jajou of Basra, Iraq, who travelled to meet and thank the royal.

“We have to express our thanksgiving to him for the solidarity he has shown for our situation,” Archbishop Jajou said.