AMMAN, Jordan (CWNews.com) - On March 21, Pope John Paul wrapped up his visit to Jordan with an afternoon trip to Wadi al-Kharrar, the site on the Jordan River where it is said that Jesus was baptized by St. John the Baptist.
In 1997, archeologists reached the conclusion that Wadi al-Kharrar-- which is located well below sea level, not far from the Dead Sea-- could be the site of Jesus' baptism. The archeologists, teaming with Franciscans from the Studium Biblicum on Mount Nebo, discovered the remains of churches on the site, including a 4th-century Byzantine monastery and some caves of the sort that were occupied by hermits. An ambitious restoration project was quickly undertaken to open the site for visitors in time for the Jubilee.
Although Pope John Paul only remained at Wadi al-Kharrar for about 30 minutes during his afternoon stop, the visit was seen as very important to Jordanian planners, who has predicted that 50,000 people would be on hand to greet him. (That figure may have been too optimistic, and the heavy winds that swept off the Jordan made the place uncomfortable for some visitors.) The Holy Father presided at a short ceremony which included the reading from the Gospel about the baptism of Christ, and a special prayer composed for the occasion.
The Pope's visit did not settle a dispute between proponents of two different sites which lay claim to being the spot of Christ's baptism. On March 22 the Pontiff will visit the other site, on the opposite side of the Jordan, which has laid claim to that title since the 4th century. Pope John Paul showed no interest in injecting himself into the archeological dispute. Instead, he remarked that while «the two banks of the rivers are visited by groups of pilgrims,» nevertheless «they all give honor to the baptism of our Lord.»
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update