The officially recognized baptism site of Jesus drew thousands to Jordan on Friday as COVID restrictions drop and the country is boosting religious tourism. The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was at the eastern bank of the Jordan River for the pilgrimage mass and said it “could be a place of unity” as tensions grow in the Middle East.

Jordanian scouts played bagpipes as thousands of festive pilgrims and visitors descended on the site where John the Baptist is believed to have baptized Jesus. The New Testament of the Bible says the event took place on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, known as Bethany Beyond the Jordan, or in Arabic as Al-Mughtas. Three Catholic popes: Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have all visited and prayed at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rustom Mkhjian, the director-general of Jordan’s Baptism Site Commission, explained to VOA the area’s importance.

“The Baptism Site of Jesus Christ is a world heritage site that belongs to mankind. We, Jordanians, are the custodians. Without the care and custodianship of the Hashemite family lead by His Majesty [King Abdullah II] we would never have been achieved of what’s been achieved by now through the recent history of the rediscovery of this site. Everybody on earth deserves to visit the site and walk in the trails of John and Jesus,” he said.

Through the centuries, the area has been commemorated as the site of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist.

But over the years, Roman and Byzantine churches, a monastery, hermit caves and baptismal pools were destroyed by earthquakes and the river’s flooding and the location became uncertain.

Starting 25 years ago, after the area between Jordan and Israel was cleared of landmines from Arab-Israeli conflicts, archeological discoveries reaffirmed the traditional site.

Jordan now wants to develop an adjacent area to provide more services to visitors, enabling them to have a longer stay, but it needs funding.

The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, says the baptismal site could be inspirational in the search for peace in the Middle East and other places where divisions have taken hold.

“Unfortunately, we’re seeing in all the Middle East a lot of tensions, divisions, borders, barriers, while we think that our future is to be united in our diversities. We hope that this place could become a small example that peace, if we want, is possible here,” he said.

Jordanian banker Basel Ishtara, visiting the site, told VOA that Jordanians “would love for everyone around the world to join us in this special place of prayer.” (VOA)

•PHOTO:Catholic pilgrims attend a mass at the Church of the Baptism of Christ, near the site of Al-Maghtas, where Jesus is believed by Christians to have been baptised by Saint John, in the Jordan river valley, Jan. 13, 2023.