British company raises funds for demining Jesus Christ’s baptismal site

A fundraiser for the demining of Qasr al-Yahud area, which extends around the west bank of the Jordan River, the site where many Christian traditions believe Jesus was baptized, has been launched, reports Sedmitsa.

It will take two years and cost at least $ 4 million to complete the demining. For this reason, the Halo Trust, a UK-based demining group, has launched a subscription to finance the project, aimed in particular at Churches and Christian communities all over the world.

Mine clearance will cover an area of about 100 hectares. It has been announced that the clearance work will be completed by the end of 2016.

The clearing mine fields - underline the managers of the company in a press release to launch the subscription - will allow places of worship in the area, belonging the Catholic Church, the Coptic Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church and various Orthodox Churches - to be restored to accommodate liturgies and provide pastoral care to the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who could come back to visit the site.

Besides the Qasr el-Yahud, there is another place where, according to many historians, Jesus Christ was baptized. It is located on the east bank of the river, in Bethany beyond the Jordan, in the territory of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Recall, Qasr el-Yahud is located on the banks of the Jordan, five kilometers from Jericho in the Palestinian territories, which were occupied by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War. Since the site is situated very close to the border with Jordan, it was thoroughly mined.

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