The month of May marks the 11th anniversary of the visit of the late Pope Francis to our Jordanian holy land that was on the first leg of his pilgrimage to the Holy Sites, which is reminiscent the 50th anniversary of the visit of Pope Paul VI.
The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan conveys condolences on the passing away of Pope Francis, the 266th successor of St. Peter, the head of the Catholic Church and the bishop of Rome. The CCSM, in a statement issued by its Director Fr. Dr. Rif'at Bader, recalls the abounding benevolence conveyed by Pope Francis during his service and leadership of St. Peter's ship.
It is no coincidence that Pope Francis departed this life the day after the noble Feast of the Resurrection (Easter). The stand he has made represented the recommendations and the wishes he wanted to fulfill before his passing away, as if he were forwarding them to his successor. In his Easter homily and the blessing he conveyed to the city of Rome and to the world, he spoke of his pain not just physical pain, but rather moral pain. It implies that there are issues that continue to plague humanity, most importantly war, violence, and the killing of human beings by others.
On Sunday March 13, Christians worldwide mark Palm Sunday. This day is quite reflective on an important event as reported in the Holy Bible which states that, “The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (John: 12: 12-13)
With the advent of spring, Christians annually mark the Feast of the Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ from the dead (commonly known as Easter). Despite the fact that this divine event took place over 2,000 years ago, it is still celebrated as it marked a turning point in the life of humanity all the time.
Baptism is one of the sacraments of Christianity.
Since the start of life on Earth, the world has been continuously teetering between war and peace.
For long years, the plight of Middle East Christians has been the utmost concern of peace-lovers and those who uphold common living, equality, and justice.
The Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan expresses jubilation at the news reporting that His Holiness Pope Francis was discharged from hospital after weeks of concern over his health.
The memory of Pope John Paul II's apostolic journey to Jordan in 2000 is still vivid. I worked at the time as a spokesperson for the Catholic Church and felt the mammoth significance of the papal visit in the Great Jubilee Year. Marking the visit, we enjoyed in Jordan on March 20- 21 a visit that could be described as nothing less than being historic and sacred.
