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Church, retreat center planned ‘for Anglican Communion’ at Jesus’ baptismal place

King Abdullah II of Jordan has given a plot of land to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem for construction of a church and retreat center at the Jordan River location traditionally believed to be the baptismal place of Jesus.

“It’s a privilege for us to have this gift from His Majesty King Abdullah and at the same time we look at this as a project to build a medium-sized Gothic Church with a retreat center,” said Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Suheil Dawani, who has officially accepted and dedicated the land. The land is important “from a religious point of view because of its location and because it will be a center for the entire Anglican Communion all over the world to visit and to connect with what’s going on here.” he said.

King Abdullah II, the eldest son of the late King Hussein, in a statement on his official website, cited Jordan as an example of tolerance and coexistence between Islam and Christianity. He also commended the bishop’s commitment to interfaith collegiality and said Jordan will continue assuming its historical role in supporting and protecting Jerusalem churches.

Bishop Suheil Dawani addressed the dedication ceremony in Arabic and welcomed about 550 enthusiastic clergy and laity from Jordan churches, as well as Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed, the king’s advisor on Christian Churches in Jordan.

“We stand in a region that had witnessed a great happening in Christian life and history as recorded in the Holy Scriptures,” he told the gathering. He thanked the Jordanian monarch for the generous gift and praised his protection of holy sites, and Islamic and Christian institutions that call for loving understanding of each other.

The prince, representing King Abdullah, spoke of the importance the royal family places on mutuality in Jordan and of the king’s desire to strengthen ties both within the country and the broader religious community. “It is for that purpose this baptismal site becomes an important part of Jordan’s Invitation to the Christian religious community to participate in collegiality and Interfaith dialogue,” he said. “We are all one family in Jordan.”

Nichola Akel, diocesan office manager and assistant to the bishop, said the gift amounts to about nine dunums, or approximately two-and-a-half acres of land, located at what was once the town of Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the traditional biblical location where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. The land is conservatively valued at about $50,000 per acre. Additional space will be provided for public parking, he added.

Edited from an article by Canon Samir Habiby.