Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Lina Annab has lit Christmas trees in the most important religious historical sites in our beloved Jordan. She started this process at the Baptism Site, then proceeded to top of Mount Nebo as it is the first time that a Christmas tree was lit on top of Mount Mar Elias in Ajloun. The minister, alongside members of staff of the ministry and the Jordan Tourism Board, will continue to plant and light the Tree of Hope in our beloved Jordan.
On the top of Mount Mar Elias, the place dearest to my heart--as I was born in the nearby town of Al-Wahadneh as the church of childhood bears the name of the Church of Mar Elias--I made an address at the celebration on behalf of the dear local community in Ajloun Governorate.
I recall that in 1999, we celebrated at this very location the first Holy Mass held in preparation for the 2000 Great Jubilee Year. The Vatican’s response at the time was that we would adopt this place as an official pilgrimage site in the Holy Land of Jordan in addition to other four sisterly sites, namely the Baptism Site, next to which the site from where prophet Elijah ascended in a fiery chariot to Heaven, that is why we stress that up to this day prophet Elijah is alive. There is also the site of Our Lady of the Mount in Anjara, where the Christmas tree will be lit shortly. There is also Machaerus, the site of the beheading of John the Baptist, and Mount Nebo, the site of the Prophet Moses.
As you notice that sine them, Jordan marked the 2000 Jubilee armed with five stars, and since then we have witnessed the resuscitation of Jordanian religious tourism, in addition to multi-faceted tourism achievements such as medical tourism, historical tourism, adventure tourism, conference tourism among others, where Jordan has become a pilgrimage destination. Thus, whoever comes to Jordan does not come only as a visitor, a tourist, or a researcher, but rather as a pilgrim.
Thus, with the elapse of 25 years, since 1999, we look forward at the end of 2024 to mark the Jubilee of next year, which is the Jubilee of 2025 years since the birth of Jesus Christ (every 25 years is called a Jubilee) and its slogan will be Pilgrims of Hope or rather Pilgrimage of Hope.
What is impressive is that there is a permanent tree at the site of Mar Elias, namely "the Tree of Wishes". Every pilgrim comes there and writes a wish, or puts a green thread and decorates the permanent tree with it. How beautiful is this evergreen tree, as it is always decorated with people's wishes. It looks like the olive tree that King Hussein, may his soul rest in peace, presented as a gift to Pope Paul VI in 1964, namely 60 years ago. It is still planted in the Vatican Gardens , with a reading, “The Tree of Peace”.
Consequently, at this place, I called for naming the Christmas tree as "The Tree of Wishes". At the time, the attendees had three wishes, namely a wish for the entrenchment of stability, continuity, and reassurance for our beloved country, Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, with whom we celebrate his silver jubilee, which coincides with the silver jubilee of the beginning of the pilgrimage to Mar Elias site. In a few days, we will mark the silver jubilee of the beginning of the pilgrimage to the Baptism Site, where we will start our new year by inaugurating the Baptism of Jesus Christ Church in the presence of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the second important person in the Vatican.
Secondly, we wish--while standing before “the Christmas tree of wishes”--and offer our prayers to the Lord for the blessing of peace on the land that we overlook from here, namely the land of beauty and holiness, the land of the beautiful olive trees, the land of Palestine. We pray for silencing the sounds of war and the attainment of justice so as to create a lasting, just, comprehensive and flourishing peace for the dear Palestinian people. We also wish the attainment of peace for Lebanon, the land of the cedar tree and the homeland of the message, for Syria and the jasmine tree, for stability for the East region, for the entire world, and for all peoples afflicted by the sins of wars and violence, while yearning for the precious blessing of peace.
Thirdly, we wish all the best for our religious tourism, which has been adversely affected by politics and its complexities. We ask God to give the government and the people the energy and potential to implement the visions of His Majesty mentioned in his discussion papers, also in the Speech from the Throne, and in his expressions at Ajloun Castle a few weeks ago, when His Majesty called for continuing the process to implement the comprehensive plan for Ajloun, for developing the infrastructure to attract investors, as well as for developing the tourism so as to provide job opportunities.
May God protect our Christmas trees in the Holy Land of Jordan, fulfill the wishes we placed on the tree of Christmas of wishes, and enlighten the paths followed by the world with justice and peace.
