QASR AL-YAHUD, West Bank (Reuters) – A sanctuary near the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism on the Jordan River hosted an Epiphany procession on Sunday for the first time in more than 50 years after being declared free of landmines.
Father Francesco Patton, the guardian of the Holy Land for the Roman Catholic Church, led Franciscan brethren to a sanctuary in what was once a war zone between Israel and Jordan.
Although the two countries have been at peace since 1994, seven churches have been abandoned for more than 50 years in the field of exploitation. The area is about a kilometer from the Qasr al-Yahud baptismal site in the West Bank, which is occupied by Israel. It is an important attraction for Christian pilgrims.
“Today we are back to pray,” said Father Ibrahim Faltas, one of the clergy during the ceremony. Attendance at the procession, commemorating the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, was limited to 50 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Israeli mining began in 2018 and included the support of the Halo Trust, a Scottish mining declaration group.
With effect from 2021, “the danger has been completely removed”, said a branch of Israel’s Ministry of Defense.
After visiting the sanctuary, the brothers passed blurred signs with the caption “DANGER – MINE!” in English, Arabic and Hebrew when they came down to the river to pray.
(Written by Rami Ayyub; Edited by Alexander Smith)