Jesus' baptism site to be cleared of landmines

'Every time we celebrate Epiphany, every time we celebrate Easter, it is as if the event happened yesterday.'

Barbed wire, 5,000 landmines and danger signs written in Arabic, English and Hebrew surround the site believed to be the area Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Though the Israeli and Jordanian armies concluded their war in 1994, the thousands of land mines scattered near the holy site and were never removed.

Nearby churches have stood empty for decades as pilgrims have been too concerned over the landmines to come near - but the HALO Trust is about to clear the entire area.

The HALO Trust is the world's largest humanitarian landmine removal organization and is set to begin the process of removing the still-active mines.

According to the organization's website, "the HALO Trust has secured approval from the Israelis, Palestinians and religious denominations to remove the landmines so that people can explore the area in safety."

The group asks "people of all faiths to join with us and raise funds to make this very special site for all humanity."

According to CNN, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and all Palestine, Theophilos III, explained what the site means to the religious: "It is a very special place. It is very much connected to the sacred history that began on Mount Sinai and the Prophet Moses and culminated here with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and his crucifixion and resurrection in Jerusalem."

When asked if the time to clear the minefield was bothersome to him, Theophilos III responded: "This is the country of prophecies and prophets. Time is not that important. One thousand years, it can be one day in the eyes of God. Every time we celebrate Epiphany, every time we celebrate Easter, it is as if the event happened yesterday."

The cleanup project's supervisor, Michael Heiman, explained his team needs to work under the assumption each landmine "is still active and still working."

Planning for the cleanup project includes looking at old military maps, reviewing footage and interviewing Israeli soldiers. The cleanup is projected to take 18 months, according to HALO program manager Ronen Shimoni, with the smaller anti-personnel mines to be excavated and crushed.

The larger anti-tank mines require manual extraction after booby traps and unexploded ordnance are detected and disarmed.

Heiman stated: "We do want each of these churches to have its own walking path down to the river. This is why we're into not just clearing the mines, but also clearing the area between the minefields and the river."

As the site is to be cleared for religious and cultural reasons, HALO must rely on private donations to fund the project, which will cost an estimated $4 million.

"Mines are not only weapons in the present," HALO chief executive Cowan stated. "Because what normally happens is that armies move on, wars end, soldiers go home. But what happens with the mine is that it stays in the ground. It maims, it kills long after the conflict has moved on."

Please donate to help the HALO project and reopen the wondrous site where our Lord and Savior was baptized in the Holy Spirit.

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