Jordan celebrates Silver Jubilee of Pope St. John Paul II's Holy Land pilgrimage

By Fr. Rif’at Bader

The memory of Pope John Paul II's apostolic journey to Jordan in 2000 is still vivid. I worked at the time as a spokesperson for the Local Catholic Church and felt the mammoth significance of the Great Pop’s visit in the Great Jubilee Year. Marking the visit, we enjoyed in Jordan on March 20-21 a visit that could be described as nothing less than being historic and sacred.

The visit marked the global commemoration of the bicentennial birth of Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Pope did not want to "bypass" that year without visiting the Holy Land, which was only preceded by Pope Saint Paul VI’s visit in 1964 who was welcomed at the time by the late King Hussein Ibn Talal at Marka Airport, as he  accompanied the papal procession to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Nablus from his helicopter

But between 1964 and 2000, numerous events took place, most notably the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Jerusalem, which shuttered the general mood. The visit would have been postponed had it not been for the will of the Pope who wanted it to mark the culmination of the Church's preparations for the year 2000. He had previously visited Egypt and then came to Jordan, and Palestine, followed by a visit to Syria, and then to Greece, in the footsteps of the apostles after the Ascension of Lord Jesus Christ.

From a Jordanian perspective, the young King Abdullah II had just assumed his constitutional authority after the passing away of his grandfather, King Hussein, the builder of the nation. However, our progress of preparations proceeded with excellence, prudence, wisdom, and insight. The King--who later received Pope Benedict, may his soul rest in peace, and Pope Francis, may  the Lord heal him--noted in his welcoming speech at Amman Airport that "this papal visit reminds us of important facts lest they be forgotten: the virtues of faith and the absolute need for forgiveness of one's enemies.” The Pope noted that the Catholic Church does not forget that its primary duty is a spiritual one, but it is ready to cooperate with all people of goodwill, both individuals and institutions to uphold human dignity. He praised religious freedom in Jordan, which allows all citizens to work for the good of the country, its future, and its stability.

The next morning, marking Karameh Day and Mother's Day, a solemn Mass was held, the first to be celebrated at the Amman International Stadium. As far as I remember, it was attended by 60,000 people who had arrived since early morning from all over Jordan and from neighbouring countries. After the Holy Mass, and after a lunch at the Latin Vicariate in Amman with patriarchs and bishops from the Arab world, the procession set off for the first time to the Baptism Site and inaugurated with the Pope the first pilgrimage to this unique site in our modern era. A total of 40,000 people attended the prayer at Prophet Elijah’s Hill, lit 2,000 candles, and inaugurated with the Pope the important religious tourism to the Baptism Site.

Questions were raised at the time about the "authenticity" of the Baptism Site on the eastern bank of the Jordan River. The then-Minister of Tourism Aqel Biltaji--whom we remember his goodness with hopes that his noble soul would rest in peace—exerted huge efforts under the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi Ibn Muhammad, which paved the way to attaining the global importance of the Baptism Site on the eastern side of the River Jordan.

I hereby recall the last words uttered by the Pope at the Baptism Site, which are engraved in the hearts and minds, before placing them in 2014 at the entrance facade along with a picture of the Pope praying on Mar Elias Hill by former director of the Baptism Site late Engineer Dia’ Al-Madani which states: "In my prayers, I will always remember the Jordanian people, Christians and Muslims alike, and especially for the sick and elderly. May God bless Jordan, the King of Jordan, and the Jordanian people."

How beautiful it is to recall the apostolic trip, a quarter century later, namely in its glorious silver jubilee...