Jordan

The initiative promoted by the Hashemite Kingdom consolidates investment in Christian religious tourism in the country and looks ahead to 2030, when the 2,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Jesus will be celebrated. From Mount Nebo to Madaba, from Gerasa to the Byzantine site of Petra itself – these are places that aim to create itineraries independent of trips to Israel and Palestine.

From the FIFA Peace Prize to Trump to short-term visas for Iranian players, the 2026 edition will be the biggest with 48 teams and 104 matches, but also very controversial. Nine Asian teams will take part, with two newcomers: Jordan and Uzbekistan. The hopes of a continent rest with South Korea and Japan. Despite billions invested in football, China failed to qualify.

Inaugurated recently in Jordan, the establishment is not just an academic initiative but a project that combines education, interreligious dialogue, and the development of spiritual heritage. The goal is to make Al-Maghtas a centre for study and reflection on early Christianity, where history, theology, and culture intertwine. This vision looks to 2030, when the two-thousandth anniversary of Jesus’s baptism will be celebrated at the site.

The Aqaba Port Rail Project is a cornerstone of the economic and logistical transformation of the transportation corridor between the Gulf and Europe. The project is set to begin in 2027 with a five-year construction timeframe. Concerns remain over regional instability, financial sustainability, and coordination among the various stakeholders involved. The construction of a dry port in Jordan’s southern region of Ma'an is also under consideration.

In AsiaNews, Fr Ielpo describes the run-up to Easter amidst the war in the Gulf and the closure of the holy sites. He condemns the violence perpetrated by settlers in the West Bank: “Serious acts against people who want to live in peace”. His account of southern Lebanon, which he has just visited. Prayer as an ‘essential’ path to a peace ‘that comes from above’. An appeal to Christians worldwide to ‘carry this yet another cross together’.

After years of diplomatic isolation and restrictions on movement, 395,000 Jordanian citizens visited Syria in 2025. Families, young people and independent travellers cross the border for short stays, cultural visits or family reunions. The project to reactivate the historic Hegiaz railway within the year. A recovery that contrasts with the crisis in tourism in Amman, victim of regional crises.

In the Holy Year of Hope, such a deed is designed to provide relief and comfort to the many families experiencing financial hardship. This crisis has been ongoing for some time, partly due to Israeli government cuts, and exacerbated by the recent years of war. For Cardinal Pizzaballa, “This was not an easy decision” because it means loss of revenues, but it is a sign of “grace” in “a context of violence”.

According to the Jordanian scholar, the Netanyahu government's ultimate goal ‘goes beyond’ defeating Hamas and redrawing borders. The West Bank becomes an ‘opportunity to be exploited’ with a view to annexation. The weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the international community, the new paradigm of the Abraham Accords. Among the nations of the region, ‘more tactics than alliances’.

Leo XIV has approved the election of the new leader of the Franciscan presence in the Holy Places, following in the footsteps of the saint of Assisi. Italian, 55 years old, the new custos takes over from Francesco Patton who has reached the end of his mandate. For the Minister General of the Friars Minor Massimo Fusarelli, "The particular context of conflict and violence” in the Holy Land and in the Middle East “makes our mission in these places even more urgent.”

The Syrian community in Jordan (1.3 million) remains trapped between poverty and cuts in international aid, which have increased since the fall of the Assad regime. According to the UNHCR, few Syrians have returned home. "My house was destroyed,” one refugee told AsiaNews. He wonders how he can go back to a place without work. In Mafraq, near the Za'atari camp, people barely survive. Relations between Jordan and Syria rekindle hopes, but the future remains uncertain.

According to a study by Frontline AIDS, while the disease saw a 39 per cent overall drop in the past 15 years, the epidemic is escalating in the Middle East and North Africa, with a record 609 per cent jump in Egypt. Marginalised groups, in particular homosexuals, sex workers and drug addicts, are at great risk.

Dialogue and mutual exchange are the Holy See’s “weapons”, the apostolic nuncio to Jordan told AsiaNews. The Jordanian government is committed to “paths of reconciliation”. Aid is flowing constantly from Jordan to Gaza. Syrian refugees are cautious but eager to return home. Some 50,000 have already made the trip. The new Latin church on the Jordan River shows the “vitality of the Christian community”.