ALBAWABA - Thousands of Christians visited the baptism site for the annual pilgrimage on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, where the faithful believe Jesus Christ was baptized.
The numbers for the annual event this year exceeded those recorded in 2021 and 2022, as COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted, encouraging more people to attend.
عدد حضور يوم الحج الكاثوليكي السنوي والوطني إلى موقع معموديّة السيّد المسيح (المغطس) تجاوز 5 آلاف شخص@VisitJordan @VaticanNews pic.twitter.com/BZluncASua
— الأب رفعــت بدر Fr Rifat Bader (@BaderRifat) January 13, 2023
According to the reports, at least 5,000 people visited the site during the pilgrimage, the highest number recorded since two years.
The baptism site was added by UNESCO to the World Heritage List in 2015.
The spokesperson for the Catholic Church in Jordan, Rifat Bader, said 1,000 people were allowed to attend the pilgrimage last year due to restrictions adopted during the pandemic. But he added that around 200,000 tourists visited the baptism site all through 2022.
