Pope to visit site of Jesus' baptism in Jordan

By Philip Pullella

AMMAN (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Sunday visits the site believed to be where Jesus was baptised as he wraps up his visit to Jordan and prepares to leave for Israel to start the most delicate part of his first Middle East trip.

On Sunday afternoon Benedict travels east of the Jordanian capital Amman to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where Jordanian experts have unearthed ruins of ancient churches amid the tamarisk trees and found early pilgrims' writings about the site.

Here, according to tradition, was where John the Baptist lived and where he baptised Jesus when Jesus was about 30 years old. New archaeological evidence was found in 1996.

A rival site exists on the Israel side of the Jordan River but most scholars believe the Biblical site for the cleansing ritual was on the Jordanian side.

Archaeologists have found a number of churches, caves and baptismal pools dating from the Roman and Byzantine periods since excavations began.

Christian denominations have begun building new churches for modern pilgrims nearby. Benedict will lay cornerstones for two Catholic churches.

He starts Sunday, his last full day in Jordan, by celebrating the first and only public Mass during his stay in the country.

On Monday, Benedict moves on to Israel and the Palestinian territories for the most delicate part of his trip, whose main theme so far has been Christian-Muslim relations.