January 6, 2008

South Shouna, 6 January 2009 (Petra) – Dr. Mark Hans, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America/ President of the International Lutheran Union, and Susan Johnson Patriarch of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the accompanying delegation, visited today the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him) in Wadi Kharrar.

Bishop Hans told Petra that this site is of utmost importance for us as Christians, and when we come here we are baptized in it, and we remember the Baptism of Christ and our baptism as his followers.

He added: we thank His Majesty King Abdullah II for donating a lot of land to us to build a church on it, in addition to His Majesty's and His Government's efforts and genuine concern for the development and restoration of international Christian sites, which affirm the deep relations between the followers of monotheistic religions in Jordan; this is what was confirmed by the Amman Message which is considered the basis for mutual understanding between Muslims and Christians; Bishop Hans called on everybody to work for peace and renunciation of violence and terrorism to realize security and stability for the peoples of the world.

Bishop Susan Johnson expressed her appreciation and esteem for His Majesty King Abdullah II for donating the lot of land which will motivate building churches in this important site; and she also expressed appreciation for His Majesty's efforts in making Jordan a venue for dialogue and meeting between religions, in the service of the values of human brotherhood and tolerance, and realizing peace among them.

Bishop Munib Younan, Head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land that His Majesty's efforts are blessed in preserving this blessed site, and in his continued endeavor, regionally and internationally, in realizing peace among the world's peoples and preserving human rights; he added that the Amman Message is just a testimonial and evidence of His Majesty's efforts in linking bridges of love, peace and religious tolerance among the world's peoples and different religions.

The delegation toured the Baptism Site, starting with the churches complex, the monks caves and water springs, and then to the Jordan River.

The delegation expressed its appreciation of the site and His Majesty's and the Government's interest in it, and listened to a briefing from Engineer Dia' al-Madani, Director of the Baptism Site Commission, on the importance of the archeological and religious discoveries at the Site.