The Latin Patriarchal Vicar of Jordan speaks to Vatican News at the “Baptism of the Lord” Church in Bethany Beyond the Jordan on the occasion of the pilgrimage and Mass for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, on Friday, 9 January. The Bishop stresses the need to respect religious and cultural differences in order to foster peace and justice in the Middle East.
By Claudia Torres – Jordan
The Latin Patriarchal Vicar of Jordan, Bishop Iyad Twal, spoke to Vatican News at the “Baptism of the Lord” Church in Bethany Beyond the Jordan, on the occasion of the pilgrimage and Mass for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, on Friday, 9 January.
The Bishop stressed the need to respect religious and cultural differences in order to foster peace and justice in the Middle East
The Bishop stressed the need to respect religious and cultural differences in order to foster peace and justice in the Middle East, and he offered the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a Muslim-majority country with a small but active Christian presence, as an example of coexistence.
The following is a transcript of the interview, which has been lightly edited for clarity.
Can you tell us the significance of the celebration today at the place of Jesus’ Baptism in Jordan?
We are very happy and proud of being Jordanians, Christians, Catholics, and today, the Feast of the Baptism, means a lot for us on a national level and the local level, and also for our Churches. We were here from all the parishes – from the north and the south – to come to pray together. Praying together, it’s a sign that we belong to this land, to the Holy Land, and we are also part of our community, our people, and our nation here in Jordan. The Baptism of our Lord is a sign of the opening of the heavens, of the sky, of God’s blessing upon us all. So we hope that we, being Christians, Catholics, Jordanians, we can participate in building peace and justice through the witness that we do in Jordan and in the whole Middle East.
Where do you see this path to peace in the Holy Land, given the situation in the region?
I think the path is very difficult, but it’s very clear. I think the problem is that we know that we want peace, we need peace. But to reach it, it’s not easy. But we can do it, if there is the will to do that, if we exclude religious identities, if we exclude all the differences. What I mean is that there are always differences everywhere we go, in every nation. But if we think and we focus only on what’s different, or what makes the other different than me, I think we will never reach the peace that we want. We need to come to an idea, an attitude, or a position that we are different maybe in religions, we are different in culture, we are different in heritage, but we have to respect each other. We respect the human being and his dignity, believing that God is love for everyone and we can live together.
“Baptism of the Lord” Church in Bethany Beyond the Jordan
In Jordan too, I’ve noticed that there is this attitude of openness…
Yes, in Jordan we do have this culture, a culture of hospitality, of accepting each other, of belonging to the nation, to the country, and the Hashemite family, and thanks to the King and his family – they are really a sign of unity. We are trying with our young people, through education – for example, schools, parishes – to keep this path, this example of coexistence and witness alive for us and for everyone around us.
What would you say the Catholic Church in Jordan can contribute to the greater Church around the world?
The Catholic Church in Jordan is very rich, because we have the Latins here but also the Maronites with us. We have the Melkites; we have the Syrian Catholics; we have the Armenian Catholics. So it’s a sign of the universality of the Church in Jordan and we are also living together. We have the biggest chain of schools in the Kingdom serving our people: rich and poor. We have the university too. So we have a role. Once, I was talking with Pope Leo about how we are trying to build bridges with everyone. This is our mission as a Catholic Church. The idea that in number we are small in Jordan, but we are so big in terms of the Catholic Church all over the world. So we are inviting our brothers and sisters to join us, to come to Jordan, to visit Jordan, that we, with you, can be the example of what it means – a Catholic Church – in Jordan and everywhere.
