Catholics to mark Epiphany at Baptism Site on Friday

AMMAN — Catholics from around the world are expected to mark Epiphany at the Baptism Site on Friday, according to a Catholic Centre for Media and Studies statement released Monday.

Epiphany (known to Greek Orthodox Christians as Theophany) marks the revelation of Jesus Christ as the son of God through his baptism and the beginning of his public ministry, according to Christian beliefs. Father Rifat Bader, director of the centre, said Latin Patriarch of the Holy Land and Jordan Fouad Twal will be leading the Epiphany ceremony, which will start at 10am.

In 2002, faithful Christians commemorated the baptism of Christ there for the first time since the site’s discovery in 1997, after the area was demilitarised following the 1994 peace treaty with Israel. Since then, thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world annually mark Epiphany at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, some 40km west of Amman.