Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader, Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media and member of the National Tourism Board, said that the Jordanian land still fascinates us up to this moment as it was recently announced that a joint Jordanian-French team of archaeologists has discovered a unique facility linked to the practice of religious rituals in the southeastern badia region of the Kingdom.
This was reported during welcoming a delegation of French pilgrims who came from Perigueux Diocese, located near French city Bordeaux, and led by Fr. Christophe Lafaye. The delegation members attended Holy Mass at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Tla’ Al-‘Ali, Amman, in the presence of parishioners.
During the meeting, Fr. Bader thanked the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Jordan Tourism Board, and the Department of Antiquities for the efforts they exert which is designed to locate Jordan on the world tourism map by highlighting the new discoveries on the beloved Jordanian territories and preserving its human cultural heritage in cooperation and partnership with friendly international bodies interested in the antiquities sector. He also praised the fruitful partnership and cooperation between Jordan and France which is designed to shed light on the distinguished archaeological sites in the Kingdom, noting the presence of several French archaeological missions that operate in several sites dating back to prehistory.
Father Bader spoke favorably of the fact that pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom have begun to include in their visit schedules meetings with the citizens of this country. This is an important step as the stones of history and antiquities are important, he added, but the meetings with the living stones, namely the people, the citizens and the believers, are more important because it represents the construction of bridges of understanding and human encounter between peoples, as well as getting acquainted with the host country through its sons and daughters. Fr. Bader said to the visiting delegation, “You are welcome in the Jordan of goodness, holiness, the Hashemites, and the beautiful life.
During the meeting, Fr. Christophe talked about his relatively small diocese, noting that it is visited annually by a million-and-a-half people from different parts of the world. Furthermore, French engineer who designed the Baptism Church at the Baptism Site Mr. Charles Glain and his wife Isabelle expressed their joy and pleasure for spending more than ten years in the Kingdom. They called for enhancing pilgrimage from France to Jordan in its capacity as a holy country that contains several religious and historical sites.
Mr. Michel Hijazin, teacher of French and religious education, made a presentation, while Mrs. Bdour Nino Imsih, Osama Imsih’s mother, spoke about the Congregation of Mothers, in her capacity as she had contributed with her late husband Karam Imseih in building the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church being the first church to be built in modern time in western Amman.
Munir Bayouk/ en.abouna.org
