BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN, Jordan — Father Sergio Pérez, an Argentinian priest from the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE), defines the site of the baptism of Christ in Jordan as “a passage from the Old to the New Testament.”

Father Pérez, whose congregation of contemplative missionaries was entrusted with the care of the Catholic church on the site known as Al-Maghtas, spoke to the Register following the Jan. 10 consecration ceremony of the altar of the brand-new Church of the Baptism erected at the entrance to the site by the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The 2,200-square-meter church, whose foundation stone was laid by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, is one of the largest Catholic monuments in the Middle East.

Father Pérez, the superior of the community onsite — which counts five priests — since December 2023, previously served as rector of the Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul in Tunis, Tunisia, between 2009 and 2019, before joining an IVE community in the Diocese of La Rochelle in France.

For him, this new mission to a major site in Christian history, still little known to the general public, represents a considerable opportunity for ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

How did your community come to be chosen to run the Church of Baptism in Bethany Beyond the Jordan?

In 2008, before the project officially started, the patriarch of the time, His Beatitude Fouad Twal, who had been a bishop in Tunisia … had the idea of entrusting the site to our community. We immediately accepted.

In 2009, when Pope Benedict XVI traveled here and laid the first stone of the church building, a very large group attended the event. ... The first brothers of our community moved into the new premises in August 2022.

What makes this religious site so unique and unmissable, in your view?

In this place, Jesus was baptized, and God manifested himself in a Trinitarian way. But it is also a bridge, a place of passage between the Old Testament and the New Testament. I see it as a passage, because in the neighborhood, we also have Mount Nebo, where Joshua, disciple of Moses, passed through on his way to Jericho — which is just opposite — with the Chosen People towards the Promised Land. This is also the place where Christ passed from hidden to public life; where he chose his first disciples. So I think it is magnificent place for pilgrims, as it enables them to know a little better the history of salvation in the Holy Scriptures, to encounter God, who manifested himself in a particular way in this place; and it also comes to remind us that we only passing through this world towards a final destination, that is, eternal life.

What will your mission consist of at this highly symbolic site?

Our primary mission is to pray, of course, but in addition to our specific monastic life, we have the mission to welcome and support the pilgrims who come here, to make this wonderful place known. We are currently two contemplative communities on site. The sisters, who are currently four, will soon be six.

Unfortunately, the war in Gaza following the Oct. 7 terror attack had a very negative impact on Jordan, too. Now, we welcome two or three groups a week, mainly French, Italian or Spanish visitors, who live in the region or make the trip despite the geopolitical situation because they know Jordan well and know it is a safe country. We can already accommodate a few people in our rooms here.

How is life for you as a Christian in Jordan, compared to your past experience in Tunisia, for instance? What are the main challenges in this Muslim-majority country?

There are similar aspects, in particular the respect for Christian churches in general and for the Catholic Church in particular. Here in Jordan, we have a very close and friendly relationship with Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad who is the king’s cousin and had been responsible for developing the Baptism site. He visited us four times these past years; there is an active dialogue between us but always respecting each other’s religion.

Tunisia is also quite open towards the Catholic Church, but there are places where we need to be careful about the way we express our faith. But since social media have completely changed our way of communicating, we’ve also had the opportunity to touch more people these past years, notably through culture, history.

In Tunisia, France left its mark somehow with the White Fathers, founded by Cardinal Charles Lavigerie at the end of the 19th century, who did a remarkable job. The transmission of Christian values was carried out through the establishment of schools, hospitals, dispensaries and attention to disadvantaged sectors.

The Jordanian government has shown clear signs of its will to get closer to the Christian world, in particular through the enhancement of the Christian heritage of the country. Are you also able to express your faith publicly and to evangelize?

Clearly, in Jordan, we can be visible. In Tunisia, we have to be very discreet and bear witness to our faith with our life, by our charity, our good relations. We cannot publicly express our Christian faith; we cannot ring the bells; we cannot organize public processions. Everything is very strictly regulated. Here in Jordan, we’re much freer. The government is very supportive of the Catholic Church in general, and there have always been excellent, friendly relations between King Abdullah II and our various popes, from John Paul II to Pope Francis.

What is your vision for the future of this site?

As a congregation, we enjoy a solid formation on the Church’s teachings, and we have a good knowledge of our Catholic identity. At the same time, we have a great openness for interreligious dialogue.

On this site, we are coexisting with Christian communities: Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and there are some Armenians, Coptic and Lutherans. We have very good relations with them. It is an opportunity to strengthen our relations and foster ecumenical dialogue.

Our desire is to be a reference point for everybody, even for the Catholics who are a little far away from their faith, for all those who feel confused and anxious about today’s challenges, globalization, the ongoing wars, economic crisis, etc., that raise a lot of questions. Then, as St. Augustine put it, there are three questions that everyone is asking themselves at some point in life. First, what is a man? Then, why would God allow evil to spread in the world? And, third, what is there after death?

We are here to answer all the existential questions of the visitors, to start a dialogue, to let them know who God is, what is the meaning of life, and what God’s project is for each one of us. We are here to remind people that God is love, that he is looking for us, loves us, and has prepared a magnificent life for us.

Are there a lot of Muslim visitors to the sanctuary?

It happens, but I have not been here enough time to quantify that. What I know is that when I was rector at the Tunis cathedral, we used to welcome around 100 to 150 people among whom many Muslims wanted to visit the building. It was for me an opportunity to catechize them, through the explanation of the meaning of stain-glass windows, paintings, sculptures, etc.

The same will happen at the Baptism site; that is particularly symbolic. The Church is full of images that evoke Jesus Christ’s life and ministry and the core teachings of the Church. Moreover, we are already receiving a number of requests from people to have the promises of their baptism renewed. That is the reason why we are here.

What are the projects you wish to develop in the next few years at the sanctuary?

There are plenty of projects that are awaiting us and that we hope to achieve. First, a reception center is about to be built on the other side of the hill facing our church, with a media room, to produce multimedia content. There will also be a gift shop.

We are five brothers at the moment, and we cover six languages — Spanish, French, Italian, English, Arabic and Portuguese. This will enable us to issue booklets and other educational material to delight visitors and make their experience unforgettable.