A clergyman carries the Book of the Gospels as concelebrants process in for Mass at the Catholic Church of the Baptism of Christ in Bethany Beyond the Jordan near Amman January 9, 2026. The annual pilgrimage to the site commemorates John the Baptist's baptism of Christ. On August 12, Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan signed agreements to begin work on the development of the lands adjacent to the Baptism Site to commemorate the second millennium of Christ's baptism in 2030 at the direction of Jordan's King Abdullah II. Photo: OSV News/Alaa Al Sukhni, Reuters. The Council of Heads of Churches in Jordan welcomed the Cabinet’s approval of a 2026 bill amending the Christian Denominations Councils Law and its referral to Parliament to complete the constitutional process. The proposed changes are expected to allow Christians to address a range of personal status matters under their churches’ laws, including marriage, divorce,…
