In Jordan, patriarch reaffirms baptismal site, work with refugees
Archbishop Pizzaballa celebrated Mass at the unfinished church at the site to mark the feast of Epiphany
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Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa. (Photo: Vatican News)
Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, reaffirmed the Catholic Church's recognition of the official baptism site of Jesus in Jordan and said a new chapel on the opposite side of the river is purely touristic, not historic.
"It is clear from the historical, archaeological, and indeed all the points of view that the actual site of Jesus Christ's baptism (in the Jordan River) is on the Jordanian side. Traditionally, historically and according to the Bible, it is on this side," Archbishop Pizzaballa told Catholic News Service in an interview at the Latin Patriarchal Vicarate in the Jordanian capital.