On Tuesday morning, March 19th, the President of the State of Israel Mr. Reuven Rivlin visited the Lord’s Baptism site by the river Jordan, escorted by the Minister of Regional Cooperation Mr. Tzachi Hanegbi, Mr. Yacub Salame and Mr. Ceasar Marjie from the Ministry of Religions of Israel and by the Israeli Military Officials of the region, Mr. Iran and Mr. Kanz.
According to jerusalem-patriarchate.info, the President also visited the properties of the Christian Churches in the area, which have been de-mined by Halo Trust and the Israeli army, and the nearby Holy Monastery of St. John the Baptist which has recently been restored and renovated by the Patriarchate from the damages it underwent during the six-day war of the year 1967.
In this Monastery the President was received by Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos along with the Heads of the other Churches of Jerusalem and Hegoumen Archimandrite Bartholomew.
The President Mr. Rivlin stressed the importance of the de-mining project of this area, which is a beacon of Christianity and praised the cooperation of the Churches for its accomplishment, as a means that secures the incoming of pilgrims from around the world, and a bridge among Israel, Jordan and Palestine and among Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Departing from the Holy Monastery of St. John the Baptist, Patriarch Theofilos visited the Holy Monastery of St. Gerasimos of the Jordan, whose commemoration was celebrated last Sunday (of Orthodoxy) and praised the work of Archimandrite Chrysostom who welcomed Him warmly.
Patriarch Theofilos addressed the President as follows;
“Your Excellency Mr. President,
Distinguished Members of the Government,
Respected Officers of the Israeli Defense Forces,
Beloved Fellow Heads of the Churches,
Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the Heads of the Churches and Christian Communities of the Holy Land, we welcome you, Mr. President, an all those gathered here, to this special place of Qasr el Yahud, as we mark the official re-opening of this holy site.
We wish to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to you Mr. President, for the consistent personal commitment that you have shown to the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious character of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, as well as to the lengthy and complicated project of clearing this area of mines. Without your support, this project would not have been completed so soon and so efficiently.
We wish also to thank the military authorities for their co-operation and help in the clearing of the mines, in the restoration of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist, and in making it functional, safe, and accessible again after so many years. We are grateful also for the help that has been given to all the communities represented here to be able to re-open their chapels in this area, so that all may have access to this holy site easily without risk.
We also acknowledge that hard work, help and support of the international community in these efforts, especially the Halo Trust.
Because this site draws pilgrims from around the world and from across all traditions of faith, we consider this place to be especially conducive to promoting peaceful co-existence between our peoples of the Abrahamic traditions. So this event today is significant in the message that it sends about the spiritual meaning of this place for all people of good will, both at our local level here in the Holy Land, as well as around the world. For this site is truly an ecumenical destination that signifies to us all that we share a common human identity and a common destiny.
As we mark the achievement of the clearing of the mines from this area, and the renovation of the buildings and the re-opening of access for pilgrims, once again, Mr. President, we thank you, and all those gathered here, who have helped to make this possible.
May God bless every effort to build peace and reconciliation among us, and may God bless all the peoples of our beloved Holy Land.
Thank you’.
