As it prepares for a Jubilee for 2000 years since the Baptism of Jesus in 2030, the biblically-rich Holy Land nation of Jordan is offering hope and faith to pilgrims and the vulnerable.

Jordanian Fr. Rifat Bader, a Roman Catholic priest in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem who directs the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan, affiliated with the Latin Patriarchate, made this observation in an interview with Vatican News.

Fr. Rifat also heads abouna.org, a site in Arabic and English featuring news, comments, and articles from the Holy Land, Jordan, and the Middle East.

In the interview, Fr. Rifat reflects on his time in Rome for the Jubilee of Communications and with the Holy Father, the upcoming 'Jordan: Dawn of Christianity' exhibit set to open this week in the Vatican's Palazzo della Cancelleria, and religious pilgrimage to the roots of Christianity in Jordan and the rest of the Holy Land.

Q: Father Rifat, if you could tell us why you are in Rome this week?

I am privileged to be in Rome after having been invited to participate as director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media, and representing, of course, the Latin Patriarchate's Media Office in Jordan, in the Jubilee of Communications, the first Jubilee celebration for the categories in the Catholic Church. I am happy to participate as a media leader with all the colleagues from 138 countries who are participating in the Jubilee.

We had the privilege to celebrate the Mass with His Holiness for the Sunday of the Word of God, and were present at Saturday's audience for communicators as well.

Yesterday, we had a private audience as [communications' directors], and we listened to the Holy Father speaking about communications in our time, at the service of the church. It's good to be here and to feel united with all the Catholic media offices from around the world.

Q: I had seen a photo of you with the Holy Father during the Monday morning meeting. Could you tell us about that exchange?

When I heard about the private audience with Pope Francis, in Jordan, I made a special picture for the Holy Father of the church at the Baptism site, which in early January was inaugurated by Cardinal Parolin as a special envoy of His Holiness Pope Francis.

On it, I had written a quotation from the Holy Father's letter last October to the Christians in the [Middle] East, when he said, talking to the Middle East's Christians that in their sacred lands, that they are to be "sprouts of hope."

On the image, there are also the sprouts, the blossoms of hope in the Jubilee Year of Hope. Thus, I showed it to the Holy Father, and told him, "This is the new church of the baptism site" and "there are your words for the Christians in the East."

Q: You played a key role at that inauguration of the church at the baptism site of Jesus on the Jordan River last month. Could you explain the importance of that site for pilgrims, and the importance of religious tourism and religious pilgrimage to the Holy Land, especially to Jordan?

Along with the presence of Vatican News, we enjoyed a historical moment at the baptism site, which is on the eastern side of the Jordan River. When Jesus was baptized, Christianity was born because he started soon after to preach the Good News and the closeness of the Kingdom of God.

We built this church, after 15 years of waiting. Pope Benedict XVI blessed the first stone with the presence of His Majesty King Abdullah and Queen Rania. It was a long way to wait until that moment, which came this year, the inauguration of the new baptismal church, and we also started the five years of preparations for the Great Jubilee of Jordan.

In the year 2030, we will celebrate the 2000 years since the baptism of Jesus. We are also waiting these days in Rome to open the 'Jordan: Dawn of Christianity' exhibition at Palazzo Della Cancellaria, which is Vatican territory. We have been delighted to inaugurate the baptism church and inaugurate five years of preparations for our Great Jubilee.

Q: The Holy Father has called on communicators to offer stories of hope. In your role, how do you embrace this call from the Holy Father? Is there a story of hope that you would like to share in Jordan?

Living in Jordan, I can affirm that Jordan is always a land of hope, especially for the refugees. It is a welcoming country, a welcoming land that hosted all the vulnerable and injured people from Iraq, from Syria, from Palestine, and some of the injured people who came from Gaza also, as well as all the aid that we sent to Gaza.

We will continue, as Jordanians, creating hope. Telling the story of hope is telling the story of Jordan which gives hope for the vulnerable people. And as churches of the holy land of Jordan, we also create hope for our people and students in the schools, who we help, especially since our schools are pastoral schools that are open for everyone, especially for the poor students who cannot afford the fees of rich commercial schools.

We also offer hope through Caritas Jordan, through the aid we give, and in every charitable committee, parish, and church. This year, we will see many stories of hope coming from Jordan, the land of hope.

Q: Anything else you would like to add?

We have heard the Holy Father speaking about the possibility of choosing a date for Easter. This means a lot for us, especially those who are living in the Middle East, because we have many denominations, many churches.

The Pope's remarks on this possibility were accepted and received with great joy and great hope. But we are waiting for our brothers in the sister Churches to accept this invitation and to work toward full unity, starting with celebrating Easter together.