Annual Pilgrimage of Churches in the Holy Land with Thousands to the Site of Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan with Prayers for Peace - VIDEO

The Catholic churches in the Holy Lands celebrate their twenty-fourth annual pilgrimage to the baptism site at the River Jordan.  (See photos at bottom)
Abouna and the Latin Patriarchate report that, on the morning of Friday, January 12, 2024, the Catholic Churches in the Holy Lands commemorated the twenty-fourth National and Christian Pilgrimage Day to the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ - with a massive ceremonial Mass presided over by His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and President of the Council of Catholic Bishops in the Holy Land, during which they raised supplications and prayers to stop the war and aggression against the Gaza Strip.
The Latin Patriarchal Vicar in Jordan, Bishop Jamal Daibes, Joseph Jbara, the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Petra and Philadelphia, the papal nuncio, Bishop Giovanni Dal Toso, representatives of the Maronite, Syriac, Chaldean, and Armenian churches, dozens of priests, and a number of deputies and members of the diplomatic corps, participated in the mass that was held in the Baptism Church. And thousands of believers coming from various regions of the Kingdom.
Prior to the Mass, the Catholic Center for Studies and Media held a press conference in which the sponsor and chair of the celebration participated, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, His Excellency Dr. Imad Hijazin, representing His Excellency Minister Makram Al-Qaisi, and the Director of the Center, Father Rifaat Badr, in the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio, Bishop Giovanni Dal Toso, and the General Director of the site. Engineer Rustom McGian, and a number of bishops and heads of Catholic churches in Jordan were also present.

The conference began with a minute of silence, prayer, and mourning for the souls of the martyrs in Gaza. Then, Father Rifaat Badr welcomed the media presence and participants on the twenty-fourth day of Hajj (pilgrimage in Arabic), pointing out that Cardinal Pizzaballa is presiding over this Mass for the first time since his inauguration as a cardinal by His Holiness Pope Francis at the end of last September, and this event came as a remarkable papal sign to strengthen the voice of the Holy Land. And the city of Jerusalem in particular, with its pain and hopes, on the Catholic and international ecclesiastical arenas.
 
Father Badr pointed out that this year’s Hajj Day coincides with the celebration of the churches of the Middle East this year, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Middle East Council of Churches, and thus the celebration of half a century of the ecumenical and fraternal journey that brings together the various churches and the four ecclesiastical families in the Middle East region, which are: the family. The Catholic family, the Orthodox family, the Eastern Orthodox family and the Evangelical family.

He pointed out that the Hajj prayers for this year will be with the intention of the absent peace in Palestine, to stop the aggression against Gaza, and to deliver humanitarian aid smoothly to the afflicted people in the Strip. In this context, Father Badr saluted the tremendous efforts made by Jordan under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Great Ibn Hussein, the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at various political, diplomatic, and humanitarian levels, and for the efforts of the Jordanian Armed Forces, represented by hospitals. On the field in Gaza and the West Bank, and in delivering relief aid to the brotherly Palestinian people, especially to the displaced in the Churches of the Holy Family and Saint Porphyrius during the Christmas period.
 
Father Badr praised the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Tourism Promotion Authority, and the Baptism Site Authority, led by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Baptism Site and Personal Advisor to His Majesty the King, His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, for the tireless efforts to encourage religious tourism to the Kingdom, the most recent of which were the meetings held a few days ago by His Excellency Minister Makram Al-Qaisi is in both the Vatican City and Italy to promote Christian pilgrimage, where the Year of John the Baptist was announced in 2023, which will mark two thousand years since the baptism of Jesus Christ in this holy spot.
 
In conclusion, Father Badr thanked the Arab Army and all the security services that watch over and cooperate with the churches for the success of the annual Hajj. He also thanked all the activities, including scouts, youth, preparatory committees, singing groups, and temple servants from the students of the Seminary Institute in Beit Jala in Palestine, and to everyone who attended. Prepare for this blessed day.

For his part, Cardinal Pizzaballa referred to the meeting he had, along with the heads of churches and Islamic activities in Jordan and Palestine, especially from the city of Jerusalem, days before Christmas, with His Majesty King Abdullah II, which was an opportunity to thank His Majesty, the Hashemite family, and the one Jordanian family for their support. Its noble historical stance with our dear sons and daughters in Gaza.
 

From the site of baptism, His Eminence renewed the call for an immediate cessation of the language of weapons, killing, displacement, and demolition of homes. He pointed out that this year's celebration, as it was at Christmas, will be limited to religious rituals, mourning the souls of the martyrs, and praying for the healing of the wounded and injured, explaining that all Masses will be offered in order to silence the war, and allow charities and humanitarian organizations to deliver their humanitarian aid.

Cardinal Pizzaballa called on the international community to work in great harmony with what His Holiness Pope Francis and His Majesty King Abdullah II are calling for, for a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution and a special status for the city of Jerusalem.

 

He said: I come from Jerusalem, and I salute you for all your media efforts, and I wish all the best for our beloved Jordan to remain under the leadership of His Majesty the King, whom we congratulate on his silver jubilee of sitting as king on the throne of the Kingdom, encouraging dialogue and convergence between Muslims and Christians.

Cardinal Pizzaballa extended an invitation to pilgrims from all over the world to come to visit Jordan, offering thanks for the great efforts made by the Board of Trustees of the Baptism Site, the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Promotion Authority, the Baptism Site, the churches, and to all those working in this important tourism sector for the Jordanian economy, as well as To build bridges between local churches and world churches.

For his part, Dr. Imad Hijazin thanked His Eminence the Cardinal for presiding over the ceremonial mass on the occasion of the Catholic Churches’ Pilgrimage. He pointed out that tourism has been damaged by the aggression against Gaza, stressing that the Jordanian priority and concern at the present time is to stop the current aggression, and then tourism will return to prosperity again.
 
Regarding future plans to increase religious tourism trips to the Kingdom, Hijazin pointed to the tireless efforts made by the Ministry, under the royal directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, as the Minister of Tourism, Makram Al-Qaisi, recently held a series of important meetings with senior officials in the Vatican City, and with the Italian Minister of Tourism, This is to encourage Christian pilgrimages to religious sites in the Kingdom.

After the press conference, the Hajj procession set off from the vicinity of the Russian Center for Pilgrims, leading the scout teams, without ceremonial songs in mourning for the souls of the martyrs, towards the Baptism Church. During the Mass, the Patriarch sprinkled the crowds of believers with blessed water brought from the Jordan River, announcing the start of the annual pilgrimage to this important historical site.
 
Bishop Jamal Daibes delivered the Mass sermon in which he recalled the spiritual meanings of baptism. He said: “Through the sacrament of baptism, we have become a united Christian community preaching the message of heaven, in glorifying God in the highest places, and peace on earth for human beings. Following the example of Jesus Christ, every Christian is called to achieve the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of justice, peace, and love. Justice, peace, and love, and this is what We pray for him today, for all those who are suffering and oppressed.”

Bishop Daibes added: “At this site of baptism, the history of salvation meets the geography of the place, or as Pope Paul VI called it, the geography of salvation. Here, Jesus Christ was baptized and began preaching, calling for repentance and the Kingdom of God. Here, the heavens split open, and the barrier between God and people was removed.. "And when we say 'here', this is not just a geographical reference. 'Here' means that God chose this place and this land. 'Here' means our pride in belonging to this country and this geographical spot that God has sanctified. Here are our roots, here is our salvation, here is our pride and our message." .
 
At the conclusion of the Mass, the Secretary of the Latin Patriarchal Vicariate in Amman, Father Imad Alamat, delivered a speech in which he thanked all government agencies, including the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Tourism Promotion Authority, the Baptism Site Authority, the armed forces and security agencies, the liturgical and logistical committees, and the youth movements, including scouts, youth, and temple servants. And Tarneem teams, who worked as one team to make this special day a success. He also thanked Lebanese singer Christian Najjar for her participation in reviving Hajj hymns this year.
 Sources: Abouna.org and Lpj.org