Issued by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media - Jordan. Editor-in-chief Fr. Rif'at Bader - موقع أبونا abouna.org

Published on Thursday, 21 January 2021
Patriarch Pizzaballa lauds warm welcome received during visit to Jordan
“As I leave the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan following my first visit as Latin Patriarch to Jerusalem, I salute the extended Jordanian family under the wise Hashemite leadership, the government, and the Jordanian people with whom we celebrate this year the centenary of the Jordanian state.”

en.abouna.org :

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa has lauded the warm welcome he  received during his first official visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan which took place on Thursday, January 7-21, 2021.

 

In a statement issued by the Latin Vicariate in Amman and sent to the press by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media, His Beatitude Patriarch Pizzaballa addressed sincere greetings to His Majesty King Abdullah II Ben Al Hussein, who had a meeting with him through visual communication technology, and highly valued His Majesty’s expression of appreciation for what the Latin Church is doing in cooperation with the sister churches in noble Jerusalem, as well as for the friendship between His Majesty the King and His Holiness Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church. His Beatitude Patriarch Pizzaballa also expressed his thanks to His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi Ben Mohammad, as well as to His Royal Highness Prince El-Hassan Ben Talal. Furthermore, he extended profound gratitude to the Jordanian government represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Protocol Department for the enormous efforts exerted to organize his visits and meetings in the Kingdom over a period of two weeks. He also thanked Senate President Mr. Faisal Al-Fayez, and Parliament Speaker Engineer Abdul Mon’em Odat who warmly welcomed him.

 

Prior to his departure of the Latin Vicariate in Amman on his way to noble Jerusalem, His Beatitude said that he was greatly moved by the warm reception accorded to him since the first day of his arrival at the King Hussein Bridge to the last day of his visit where he held several fraternal meetings with a number of clerics and citizens. He said that he chose to celebrate the first Holy Mass at the Baptism Site due to the importance of this place, and in appreciation of the efforts made in building the church whose construction will be completed, God willing, next year. The statement also called on pilgrims and tourists from different parts of the world to visit this unique site when the pandemic is over.

 

Patriarch Pizzaballa thanked all the bishops, priests and parishioners who welcomed and conveyed well-wishes to him on his nomination as Latin Patriarch. Asking for prayers, support and encouragement, His Beatitude said that he felt the extent of the prevailing solidarity and cooperation among all the components of the extended Jordanian family. He also underlined the need preserve this national unity, and this wonderful impression that was demonstrated by cooperation among the various committees that organized the Holy Mass he celebrated at the Baptism Site as well as all the meetings he held with the various functionaries. He also praised the harmony prevailing among the citizens, stating that Jordan has set a wonderful global model of the distinctive unity between Christians and Muslims.

 

According to the statement, His Beatitude Patriarch Pizzaballa thanked the various local, Arab, and international media outlets for their coverage of his visit, especially the Holy Mass celebrated at the Baptism Site, and the fruitful interviews conducted by these outlets with him. He noted that the Latin Vicariate in Amman is ready to continue cooperation with various media outlets through the Catholic Center for Studies and Media for the goodness of mankind and humanity.

 

His Beatitude Patriarch Pizzaballa expressed appreciation for host Bishop William Shomali, Monsignor Mauro Lalli, the charge d'affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Amman, the Council of Priests, and the preparatory committees that paved the way to the various meetings. Marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Patriarch Pizzaballa thanked sister churches that organized visits to the Latin Vicariate to covey to him well-wishes, or participated in the Holy Mass celebrated at the Baptism Site, stressing the need to adopt all the initiatives that would serve the serious move towards the complete fulfillment of Christian unity.

 

In conclusion, His Beatitude the Patriarch said: “As I leave the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan following my first visit as Latin Patriarch to Jerusalem, I salute the extended Jordanian family under the wise Hashemite leadership, the government, and the Jordanian people with whom we celebrate this year the centenary of the Jordanian state.” He added: “I will always mention Jordan in my daily prayers, especially on these days for the sick and the Corona-infected people, as well as for the medical personnel in the Kingdom and the world at large.