JORDAN - On Friday, January 12th, 2024, the Catholic Church held its yearly Christian pilgrimage day, to Jesus' Baptismal site, during which H.B. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over a Mass in the Baptism Church located on the banks of the Jordan River. Concelebrating were Mgr Jamal Daibes, Patriarchal Vicar in Jordan, Mgr Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, Apostolic Nuncio to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, several Bishops and priests, as well as members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of various churches, and the faithful, who started the day by praying the rosary, asking God to protect the Jordanian king and the people of Jordan. Prayers were also raised to stop the war in Gaza and the entire world. This year's pilgrim was marked by the participation of the Lebanese Christian singer, Ms. Christian Najjar.
The annual press conference was also held, with the participation of Dr. Imad Hijazin, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Mr. Makram Al-Qaisi, Minister of Tourism in Jordan, and Mr. Rustom Makhjian, Director-General of the Baptism Site Committee. Cardinal Pizzaballa began by welcoming all the participants, and those who organized this pilgrim day. During his speech, he expressed his gratitude towards His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, for his invaluable efforts in striving to achieve comprehensive and just peace in the country. He also thanked the Jordanian Hospital and the Hashemite Charitable Organization for their support and assistance to the people of Gaza, especially to our parishioners in the Holy Family Church, on Christmas Eve. The Cardinal also acknowledged the efforts of the security officials, and the Catholic Center for Studies and Media, which organized this press conference. The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Imad, indicated that the Ministry of Tourism’s current concern is to stop the war in the country and then complete the implementation of plans and programs for this place so that pilgrims can live a unique spiritual experience that contributes to developing and supporting the tourism sector in Jordan.
After the conference ended, H.B. Card. Pizzaballa went down to the banks of the Jordan River to fill the jars with the water. This water was consecrated by Mgr Jamal during the Mass, and sprinkled by H.B. on all the participants as an act of renewal of their baptismal vows during this feast.
In his homily, Mgr Jamal spoke about the sanctity of this place, which was sanctified by Jesus Christ's Baptism, Appearance, and launch of his mission in and out of this place, saying: “The Epiphany of the person of Jesus Christ on this feast is closely linked to his appearance to the Shepherds and the Magi, but here the Lord Jesus Christ is made known by heaven’s testimony: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” - (Matthew 3:17). Through his Baptism in the Jordan river, he sanctified the waters, and shared with us our human nature even more: He who was without sin bore the sins of the world. By his birth, he was born a human being like us, and by his baptism, he shared our condition. He condescended to the utmost extent, both spiritually to take us to heaven, and even geographically, to the lowest point, to take us to Calvary in Jerusalem, where the Resurrection took place. It was from here that the words “This is the Lamb of God” were first proclaimed". He concluded by saying: "God chose this place to complete the history of salvation for humanity, so we hold this place dear to our hearts. Let our belonging to the land of baptism be a message of peace and love to the whole world, following the example of Jesus Christ."
In the end, Fr Imad Alamat, Secretary of the Latin Patriarchal Vicariate in Amman, said a word of thanks to everyone who worked tirelessly to make this day successfully happen, allowing the faithful to commemorate the Baptism of Christ right where it took place.
