Jordan’s first Christian university has been inaugurated at the site traditionally venerated as the location of Christ’s baptism at the hands of St John the Baptist.

At Al-Maghtas on the eastern bank of the Jordan, King Abdullah II and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, formally opened the Baptism Site International Orthodox University on Monday. The ceremony was also attended by other Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of Jerusalem, senior Jordanian officials, diplomats, clergy, scholars, and representatives of different Christian traditions and religious communities. Among those present were Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum.

The university, established by the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, has been conceived not simply as a theological seminary but as an interdisciplinary institution devoted to the humanities, ethical leadership, historical scholarship, and cultural engagement. It is expected to begin admitting students in September.

A statement from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate said the university was intended for the “formation of future generations equipped to serve a region in urgent need of wisdom, tolerance, moral clarity, and courageous leadership”.

Addressing those gathered at the inauguration, Patriarch Theophilos said the project answered “a profound need in our region to unite spiritual depth with intellectual excellence, faith with scholarship, and inherited truth with responsible service to humanity”. He also described Jordan as “a beacon of hope for Christians in the Middle East” and praised the custodianship of Jordan’s Hashemite royal family for its role in preserving the region’s religious and civilisational inheritance.

The inauguration formed part of wider preparations for the two-thousandth anniversary of Christ’s baptism in 2030, an initiative proposed by the Council of Church Leaders in Jordan and now formally backed by the Jordanian government. During meetings at the Baptism Site, King Abdullah directed officials to support preparations for the anniversary, including infrastructure and pilgrimage facilities at Al-Maghtas, and said he would personally oversee the initiative’s implementation.

Cardinal Pizzaballa described the forthcoming anniversary not merely as a historical commemoration, but as “an opportunity to reaffirm the values of unity, harmony and mutual understanding”. Archbishop Naoum said churches and Christian institutions around the world would be encouraged to participate in commemorations at what he called the original site of Christ’s baptism.

The Hashemite family have held custodianship over the holy sites in Jerusalem for over a century, since the Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi, was entrusted with it by the Supreme Muslim Council in the British mandate of Palestine. King Abdullah is the great-great-grandson of Hussein and in recent years Jordan has sought to consolidate its role as custodian of some of the region’s most important Christian holy places.

At a time when many historic Christian communities in the Middle East face war, displacement, and continuing uncertainty, the establishment of a university at the place of Christ’s Baptism stands as a notable affirmation that Christian life in the region still has a future.