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Did you know 2030, just 4 years from now, will mark 2,000 years since the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist at now present-day Al-Maghtas, Jordan?
On August 10th, 2026, Jordan Prime Minister Jafar Hassan August hosted the first National Committee for the Preparation of the “Second Millennium of the Baptism of Jesus Christ.” Together with pastors, community leaders, and representatives of religious organizations, the members discussed the need for preparations and extensive future planning. This committee included the Jordanian Prime Minister, Ministers of Government Communication, Interior, Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, and Tourism and Antiquities, as well as “Bishop Christophoros Atallah, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Jordan; Archbishop Dr. Iyad Twal, Latin Patriarchal Vicar in Jordan; Archbishop Hossam Naoum, Anglican Archbishop; Bishop Munib Younan, former Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church; the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Baptism Site Development Foundation; the Director General of the Baptism Site Commission; the Director General of the Jordan Tourism Board; Nadim Al-Mauasher; Osama Imseeh; and Basem Farraj.”
According to Hassan, these practices are in line with his directives from His Majesty King Abdullah II, “put forward by the Council of Church Leaders in Jordan.”
As explained by Hassan, choosing to commemorate this second millennium of the baptism of Jesus represents Jordan’s core values: “[These actions] reflect Jordan’s historical and religious standing and its role as a global destination for Christian pilgrimage, while highlighting the Kingdom’s message of coexistence, respect for others, peace, love and human fraternity.”