Amman, Aug. 18 (Petra) – The Council of Church Leaders in Jordan on
Tuesday discussed the vision and proposed content for the Baptism
Site Museum, focusing on developing an integrated museum narrative
that reflects the site’s religious, spiritual, historical and
cultural significance.

The meeting, held at the St. Ignatius Academy for Knowledge
Innovation in Amman, brought together several church leaders,
Chairperson of the Baptism Site Development Corporation Tharwat
Masalha, and Director General of the Jordan Museum and President of
the Jordan Museums Association Ihab Amarin.

Bishop Christophoros Atallah and Archbishop Iyad Twal welcomed the
participants and highlighted the importance of joint efforts to
develop museum content that reflects the unique religious and
historical significance of the Baptism Site, one of the world’s most
prominent Christian pilgrimage destinations.

Sadir Brooks, curator of the Baptism Site Museum, presented the
initial concept for the museum’s exhibition plan, outlining its main
themes and narrative, the sequence of exhibition halls, and
approaches to presenting the Baptism Site through a comprehensive
visitor experience.

Participants discussed the central themes proposed for the museum
narrative, including “wilderness,” “water” and “witness,” as well as
the references and narratives associated with them.

The discussions also addressed the museum’s central story, the
baptism of Jesus Christ by St. John the Baptist, the meaning and
significance of baptism, historical and archaeological evidence
related to the site, and the history of Christianity in Jordan from
its earliest days to the present.

The meeting further explored the proposed design of the exhibition
halls and methods for presenting content to visitors, taking into
account the diversity of churches and Christian traditions and aiming
to convey the site’s message clearly and comprehensively to pilgrims
and visitors from around the world.

Participants agreed to provide the museum project team with
spiritual, biblical and patristic references related to the baptism
of Jesus Christ to enrich the exhibition texts and support the
development of a comprehensive Christian narrative that respects the
diversity of churches and reinforces the credibility of the museum’s
spiritual message.

The meeting included an exchange of views on transforming the
proposed themes into integrated interpretive content that strengthens
the museum’s message and highlights the Baptism Site’s religious,
historical and tourism significance.

//Petra// AJ