‘Candles of Peace’ lit at Church of Baptism

AMMAN — A Peace Light celebration was held on Friday at the Church of Baptism within the framework of an evening titled, “Jordan, the Land of Peace”.

“Lighting the Candles of Peace’’ event, which was held at the the Church of the Baptism of Jesus Christ on the bank of the Jordan River, was organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in cooperation with the Baptism Site Commission.

In a statement to The Jordan Times, event organisers said that the celebration was attended by Tourism Minister Lina Annab, heads of churches, a number of ambassadors of friendly countries, and large number of people from various parts of the country.

Annab was quoted in the statement as saying that the event aimed at conveying a message of peace, love, brotherhood and co-existence from Jordan to the world. 

“I stand before you to confirm to you and to the world that Jordan’s King, government and people convey a message of peace and love. We chose to have this celebration coincide with the Marian Month as well as with the advent of the holy month of Ramadan in a few days to tell the world that Jordan is a holy country which celebrates plurality and carries the message of comprehensive brotherhood and mutual respect among its entire people.”

Delivering a speech during the celebration, Director General of the Catholic Centre for Studies and Media Father Rifat Bader said that the event was meant to reiterate Jordan’s status as a land of dialogue, peace, harmony and co-existence.

“In May 2009, when the leader of our country stood next to the head of the Catholic church, Pope Benedict XVI, to lay the foundation stone of this church… it was a clear and explicit declaration that the world’s certainty was corroborated by the fact that we were experiencing a unique situation namely, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan or rather Jordan, the land of peace. It also demonstrated that we have a wise leadership, namely the Hashemite leadership which acquires religious and historic legitimacy, and that our king is the king of dialogue and peace,” Father Bader said.

The celebration included hymns performed by the Fountain of Love Choir, including a hymn titled “It is time for Peace”, which was performed in cooperation with the Caritas Jordan, as well as a film featuring the visits carried out by senior political and religious figures to the Baptism Site, according to the statement.