October 4, 2026
Signs of promising Lebanese-Jordanian cooperation in the religious tourism sector emerged from the Patriarchal edifice in Bkerke, ignited by an official invitation sent by Jordan to Lebanon and the Maronite Church to actively participate in the celebrations of the year 2030, marking the two thousandth anniversary of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, in parallel with serious efforts to connect Christian pilgrimage sites in the two countries within a common spiritual and tourism path.
In this context, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rai received, this Friday afternoon in Bkerke, Jordanian Minister of Tourism Imad Al-Hijazin, in the presence of Lebanese Minister of Tourism Laura Khazen Lahoud and the accompanying delegation.
During the meeting, Minister Al-Hejazin conveyed the greetings of Jordanian King Abdullah II to Patriarch Al-Rahi, and his wishes for good health to continue spreading the message of love, peace and dialogue in Lebanon and the Middle East region. He also announced the start of official preparations in the Kingdom of Jordan for a series of activities under the slogan “Jordan is the Dawn of Christianity” extending until the year 2030, stressing his country’s keenness to participate with Lebanon given its rich spiritual and cultural heritage.
For his part, Patriarch Al-Rahi appreciated the positions of King Abdullah II and his interest in consolidating historical relations between the two countries, praising the initiative of the Jordanian monarch to grant the Maronite Church a plot of land at the baptismal site to build a church on it, and welcoming the expected Lebanese participation in the celebrations.
In turn, Lebanese Minister of Tourism Laura Khazen Lahoud stressed that Lebanon and Jordan share a broad spiritual and cultural heritage that reflects the richness of religious diversity in the region. She explained that the ongoing preparations to celebrate the two thousandth anniversary of the baptism of Jesus Christ at the “Baptism” site in Jordan, in integration with the symbolism of the city of Qana in southern Lebanon due to its connection to the first signs of Christ and the wedding at Cana, open broad horizons for linking these sites within integrated tourist and spiritual itineraries that aim to transform geographical and cultural proximity into a real opportunity for encounter and dialogue.
Minister Al-Hejazin pointed out that his visit to Lebanon highlighted the size of the common heritage that transcends national borders to become part of the global human heritage. He explained that Jordan includes more than 34 approved sites for Christian pilgrimage, and work is underway to develop them within an integrated spiritual path that allows visitors of different religions to have a unique experience.
This meeting comes at the heart of a broader movement aimed at promoting inter-religious tourism and transforming the historical and sacred monuments in Lebanon and Jordan into an integrated tourism and cultural product capable of attracting visitors and pilgrims from all over the world.
