Jordan to Open River Bank Near Baptism Site

JERUSALEM POST, Dec. 11—When Jesus “came from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized,” he met John on the bank that modern-day Israel has made a closed military area. Pilgrims are denied access to the area except on a few days surrounding the feast of Our Lord's Baptism.

But across the river, present-day Jordan is preparing to open the bank opposite the traditional site for pilgrims in the year 2000, said a report in the Jerusalem Post.

The paper said that an alternate arrangement Israel made when it closed the site in 1967 never caught on. It opened a new Baptism site elsewhere along the bank but, “Although that [new] site has become popular with Protestants, and especially evangelicals, it has never been recognized by the historic Churches.”

Today, the traditional site, despite a new, paved road to the river and cement stairs going down to the water, “has a general atmosphere of neglect,” said the report.

Meanwhile, Jordan has been preparing the opposite bank and also excavating a nearby site, known as Bethany beyond the Jordan, which features ancient reinforced pools and waterways that the Jordanian Minister of Tourism said were, “almost certainly used for baptisms.”

Franciscan Fr. Emilio Barcena, director of the Christian Information Center in the Old City of Jerusalem praised the archeological finds at the new site and the diligent work the Jordanians have done on the banks of the Jordan, but remained more interested in the traditional site.

“They want to open it as soon as possible. For us, the place [in Israel] is closed and [the one in Jordan] is open. Why shouldn't Israel open it all the time, and not just once a year?” Father Barcena asked, according to the paper.

Added the report, “Metropolitan Vassilios of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate said that, for his Church, both the eastern and western banks of the Jordan were equally sacred.”

In Europe, Homosexual Couples’ Status Varies

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 12— In the United States, the November elections showed an unwillingness on behalf of Americans to allow homosexual marriage—or even arrangements that closely resemble it. Now, with a controversial bill in France's parliament, Europe is embroiled in the same debate.

According to AP, the status of homosexual couples varies widely from nation to nation. Countries that give homosexual couples status:

• Denmark: Marriage rights have been given to homosexual couples since 1989, but adoption rights are still denied them.

• Sweden: Since 1995, homosexuals may register as “partners” in a civil marriage-like arrangement. Adoption—or the production of children through artificial means—is not allowed for them.

• Netherlands: A 1998 law gives homosexual couples practically identical rights to married couples, apart from adoption—which will soon be allowed, as a popular proposal is expected to go through parliament early in 1999.

• Iceland: “Registered cohabitation” has been allowed homosexuals since 1996. It is an arrangement very like marriage, but doesn't allow adoption. Countries that give homosexual couples certain rights:

• Belgium: A law passed in March gives inheritance rights and allows for joint bank accounts for homosexual couples.

• Hungary: Since 1996, homosexual couples have had inheritance rights but not adoption rights. Countries that defend marriage:

• France: Homosexual couples have no legal status. A new bill “currently under heated debate in parliament” would give them a few marriage-like rights.

• Spain: Homosexual couples have no official status outside of the northeastern Catalonia region, where a recently passed law recognizes homosexual couples but denies them adoption or inheritance rights.

• Italy: No national law gives homosexual couples legal status, despite nonbinding measures in a few cities that allow unmarried couples to “register.”

• Germany: “The new center-left government intends to grant some legal status to same-sex couples, but not the right to adopt children,” said the AP.

• Britain: No legal status for homosexuals is cited, but a July vote indicated support for a measure giving homosexuals state pension inheritance rights.

1998's Sad Legacy: 2,000 Colombian Kidnappings

BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION, Dec. 14—Weary Colombian government and political figures joined with Catholic Church and media representatives to appeal for the release of victims of kidnappings in the country, reported the BBC. The number of victims in the South American country boggles the mind: 2,000 in 1998 alone, according to the report.

At December ceremonies throughout the country, speakers called for an end to this record-breaking trend. According to the report, an anti-kidnapping group spokeswoman “told the BBC that they feared many more abductions were not reported. Colombia has the world's highest kidnapping rate; correspondents say ransoms have become a lucrative source of revenue for left-wing guerrillas and common criminals alike.”