Amman, Jan 4 (Petra) — Pope Francis has appointed Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin as a papal envoy on his behalf to inaugurate the Church of the Baptism of the Lord in Jordan on Friday, The Holy See announced.

Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media, Father Rifaat Bader, said Saturday that Parolin will preside at the Baptism Site over Silver Jubilee celebrations of the pilgrimage to the Baptism Site, marking 25 years of the annual pilgrimage.

Bader said in a press statement that during a mass, the Church of the Baptism of the Lord on the eastern bank of the Jordan River will be inaugurated, noting that the foundation stone of the church was laid by the late Pope Benedict XVI on May 10, 2009.

Bader stressed the importance of “this major event,” referring to an invitation by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land to all Latin and Catholic churches to participate in the mass.

Bader also pointed to preparations by the Catholic Center in cooperation with local and international media for coverage of “this major and important event.”

The Catholic Center recalled Pope Benedict’s speech during the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the church, in which he stressed the memory of the baptism of Christ in “this place”, and underlined Jordan as a Christian pilgrimage destination over the centuries.

The church was built under the direct supervision and generous donation of “Knight of the Holy Sepulchre,” Nadim Muasher, in memory of his son Ayman, who died in a traffic accident near the Baptism Site, said Bader.

//Petra//SS

04/01/2025 16:43:54