Thousands of Greek Orthodox Christians gathered on both banks of the Jordan River today and prayed to mark the baptism of Jesus Christ there, for the first time since the 1967 Middle East War.
Jordanian soldiers on the east bank and Israeli troops on the west bank prevented the faithful from reaching the river itself but Jordan-based Archimandrite Christofos Hanna blessed the faithful and the waters of the river.
About 5,000 Jordanians held mass at a site where some believe Christ was baptised by John the Baptist. There are rival claims that Jesus was baptised on the west bank.
"This is a key pilgrimage for us Christians, said one worshipper," Mazen Jouaneh. "I am so happy that I could make it." He was carrying his 10-month-old baby and was accompanied by his wife, father, mother and siblings.
The Jordanian site has undergone preparations to receive thousands of tourists and pilgrims since Pope John Paul visited in March 2000 but the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising across the river in September 2000 has dented the tourism industry.
Christians are a small but influential minority among Jordan's mainly Muslim 5.2 million-strong population.