On Friday, November 17, the General Assembly of the National Association of Directors of Christian Pilgrimage in France (ANDDP) concluded its four-day sessions--which convened in Jordan with the participation of 175 French pilgrimage directors--in the presence of Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Makram Al-Qaisi.

During the meeting, which was held in the presence of French media, a number of partners who contributed to the success of this event in Jordan were honored. ANDDP President Jackie Marie Lapierre said, “The importance of the ANDDP directors' choice to hold their sessions 75 years after its founding in Jordan lies in the holiness of the Kingdom’s land.

The ANDDP's delegation included 117 directors, in addition to a French press delegation that visited several Christian religious sites during its stay in the Kingdom. Bishop Jean-Marie Le Vert of Bordeaux said, "He feels after completing this tour is to invite everyone he knows to visit the Kingdom because of its religious weight for Christian pilgrims as well as the warm reception and safety he witnessed."

The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Makram Al-Qaisi, thanked Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan Bishop Jamal D'aibes, the president of the ANDDP, Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, the accompanying delegations which included Christian pilgrimage directors, the press delegation, the Jordan Tourism Board, and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities for the great effort they exerted to make this visit successful and to prove to the entire world that Jordan is a distinguished model of common living among all its shades, regardless of race, religion, and origin.

It is noteworthy that the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the ANDDP was held in France, but the holding of the 75th took place  in Jordan after more than two years of preparations between the ANDDP and Jordan, represented by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Jordan Tourism Board, the Jordan embassy in Paris, and the Catholic Center for Studies and Media.