Jordan increases attracting Christians torrists

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – Jordan plans to develop Christian pilgrimages and tourism on its soil, laying claim to emblematic biblical sites such as the presumed site of Christ’s baptism and Mount Nebo.

For the first time in its 85-year history, the association of French Catholic pilgrimage leaders held its annual congress in Jordan. “Holding a congress in Jordan is a major event. It will enable us to develop the number of pilgrims coming to this country, in the footsteps of Abraham, our common father in the faith, of Moses, of the great prophets, of John the Baptist,” said the auxiliary bishop of Bordeaux, Jean-Marie Le Vert, at the opening of the congress of the Association Nationale des Directeurs Diocésains de Pèlerinages (ANDDP), held from November 13 to 18.

It is only the third time the event has been held outside Europe, after Lebanon in 2005 and Israel and Palestine in 2011. The ANDDP responded to an invitation issued three years ago by King Abdullah II, whose government intends, despite an explosive regional context, to make Jordan a prized pilgrimage destination for Christians.

Christ’s baptism

The Hashemite kingdom, where Sunni Islam is the religion of the state and of over 90% of the population, claims to have numerous sites attesting to the country’s long Christian history, and even several places with biblical references – starting with the presumed site of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

Located not far from the northern shore of the Dead Sea, the site has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015. “This is an extremely important place for us. It represents the place where Jesus began his public life.