By Clint Chan Tack Thursday, March 4 2010

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning will attend the largest inter- faith service in United Kingdom on March 8 (next Monday).

The service is being held at Westminster Abbey in London to commemorate Commonwealth Day. Queen Elizabeth II; Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall; Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Commonwealth Secretary-General Kama-lesh Sharma will be among the dignitaries present for the service.

The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) said representatives of all major Christian denominations will take part in this service alongside faith leaders from the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Baha’i, Zoroastrian and Jain communities. The RCS said the collective participation of these persons reflect “the unity and diversity of the Commonwealth.”

Manning, the Queen and other dignitaries will also be treated to musical performances from around the world which will include the debut of a “newly created Commonwealth choir.” The theme of this year’s Commonwealth Day observance ceremony is “science, technology and society.” Manning has come under fire on the home front from several quarters over his alleged connection to the controversial Lighthouse of the Lord Jesus Christ Church which is being built in the Heights of Guanapo by Chinese workers employed with the Shanghai Construction Company. Last Friday in Parliament, Manning rejected those allegations and described the criticisms being levelled against him regarding that church as “religious persecution of the Prime Minister.”

Prior to the service, Manning will attend a news conference and flag-raising ceremony at Malborough House in London to mark Rwanda’s first day as a Commonwealth nation. Commonwealth leaders approved Rwanda’s application for membership in the group on November 29, 2009, the final day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port-of-Spain.

Manning, who will serve as Commonwealth chairman until the next CHOGM in Australia in 2011, will leave for London later this week. Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Dr Lenny Saith will act as Prime Minister during Manning’s absence from the country.