MIDDLE EAST: Jordan's King Abdullah II donates land to Jerusalem diocese
Episcopal News Service, Jerusalem. April 7, 2008 [040708-05]
Samir Habiby, Special Assistant to Bishop Suheil Dawani, Pat McCaughan, Correspondent for Episcopal Life Media in Province VIII
King Abdullah II of Jordan has given a plot of land to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem for construction of a church and retreat center at the Jordan River location traditionally believed to be the baptismal place of Jesus.
"It's a privilege for us to have this gift from His Majesty King Abdullah and at the same time we look at this as a project to build a medium-sized Gothic Church with a retreat center," said Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Suheil Dawani, who officially dedicated the land on March 28.
The land is important "from a religious point of view because of its location and because it represents an opportunity to strengthen our Christian presence there," Dawani added. "It will be a center for the entire Anglican Communion all over the world to visit and to connect with what's going on here."
King Abdullah II, the eldest son of the late King Hussein, in a statement on his official website, cited Jordan as an example of tolerance and coexistence between Islam and Christianity. He also commended Dawani's commitment to interfaith collegiality and said Jordan will continue assuming its historical role in supporting and protecting Jerusalem churches.
Dedication, Eucharist, interfaith collegiality celebrated
Dawani addressed the March 28 dedication ceremony in Arabic and welcomed about 550 enthusiastic clergy and laity from Jordan churches, as well as Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed, the king's advisor on Christian Churches in Jordan.
"We stand…in a region that had witnessed a great happening in Christian life and history as recorded in the Holy Scriptures," Dawani told the gathering. He thanked the Jordanian monarch for the generous gift and praised his protection of holy sites, and Islamic and Christian institutions that call for loving understanding of each other.
The prince, representing King Abdullah, spoke of the importance the royal family places on mutuality in Jordan and of the king's desire to strengthen ties both within the country and the broader religious community.
"It is for that purpose this baptismal site becomes an important part of Jordan's invitation to the Christian religious community to participate in collegiality and interfaith dialogue," he said. "We are all one family in Jordan."
Nichola Akel, diocesan office manager and assistant to Dawani, said the gift amounts to about nine dunums, or approximately two-and-a-half acres of land, located at what was once the town of Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the traditional biblical location where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. The land is conservatively valued at about $50,000 per acre. Additional space will be provided for public parking, he added.
He said the area is a popular location for visitors and that other Christian churches will have a presence nearby. "In 2007, according to Jordan statistics, about 400,000 people visited that site," he said.
Dawani, who on April 1 observed the first anniversary of his episcopacy, said an initial design plan is underway; he hopes to begin fundraising for the estimated $2 million project and to start construction in 2009.
The diocese includes 31 congregations in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Israel and supports 35 institutions, including hospitals, clinics, schools, vocational training programs and institutions for the deaf, the disabled and the elderly.
Dawani said the gift and planned construction represents part of the "new spirit" and overall vision of the diocese, adding: "We want the whole Anglican Communion to feel this is their place."