Holy Site Has Not Been Safe To Visit In Decades
Are you interested in visiting the site where Jesus was baptized? Well you can’t. Because the area is littered with thousands of explosives.
Why is Jesus’s Baptism Site Crammed With Explosives?[/tweetthis]
There are mines, unexploded bombs, and shells leftover from conflicts in the region. Even though over half a million visitors go the location every year, there are warnings posted everywhere and many areas that are off-limits.
It is the third holiest site for Christians. It is the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus at the Jordan River.
The pope visited the site in 2000, which required Israeli soldiers to clear a path for a small area.
However, HALO, a non-profit that helps de-mine regions, has received donations over one million dollars to help clear the area. The project will take over a year to complete. It will allow eight churches built nearby to reclaim the area they have not been able to use since the 1970s.