While we read and hear much about the war in Gaza and beyond, it is nice to hear some good news from the Holy Land. Recently, a new church was consecrated at , the site of the Baptism of Jesus. The site has been recognized by the Catholic church for years as the actual spot of the baptism of Our Lord, and now there is a new church dedicated to the baptism. Bethany Beyond the Jordan, in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, has seen the dedication of a new church on January 10, 2025.
The church was built of tafouhi, a yellowish stone from Hebron in the West Bank, while its stained-glass windows were made in Lebanon in a style intended to resemble that of the medieval Chartres Cathedral in France. It is the largest church in the Middle East, with a capacity of over 1,000.
The altar consecrated by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin at the inaugural Mass houses the relics of Pope St. John Paul II and the Holy Martyrs of Damascus.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin officiated at the consecration of the altar…….also attended by the patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, son of Prince Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan. the dedication was attended by some 6,000 faithful, including around 1,000 inside the building — according to an estimate by the Jordan Tourism Board. Among them were around 100 priests and 15 bishops from several countrie
It also reflected the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan’s determination to establish itself as an essential stop-off point for pilgrims to the Holy Land, as well as a haven of peace for the world’s Christian faithful, who are increasingly reluctant to travel to a region torn apart by geopolitical and ethnic-religious conflicts. Jordan remains a bright spot among so many tragic stories.
“So many biblical events and figures meet here that we could say that this place embraces the entire expectation of the Old Testament as directed to the coming of Christ, the manifestation of the Father,” said the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, at the ceremony of consecration of the altar on Friday morning,
Click here to learn more about the baptismal site at Bethany Beyond the Jordan