‘Garden of Mercy’ to offer jobs for Jordanians, Iraqis, promote dialogue

AMMAN — Celebrating Pope’s Day, the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See, in cooperation with Caritas Jordan and the Latin Vicariate in Amman, on Thursday launched a project offered by Pope Francis for underprivileged people and refugees residing in the Kingdom.

The project, dubbed “The Garden of Mercy”, is to be a space for refugees and Jordanians to cultivate and produce agricultural products, according to officials.

The garden, located at the Our Lady of Peace Centre, near the airport road, will offer jobs to Iraqi refugees and underprivileged Jordanians that would provide them with a sufficient income.

Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan and Iraq Alberto Ortega Martin said launching the garden is a result of cooperation between Muslims and Christians.

“I hope that the Garden of Mercy may not only be the place where refugees and the persons in need find work and just remuneration, but also become a place of dialogue and encounter between people of different religions,” he added.

Segundo Tejado Munoz, the undersecretary of the Pontifical Council, said: “this project represents an oasis where families who have experienced suffering and difficulties can once again flourish and grow.”

He added the place is to be “a true garden where love, fraternal cooperation, peace and joy are sown, nourished and shared among all people”.

Wael Suleiman, the director of Caritas Jordan, noted that the Catholic Church had allocated a space of 10,000 square metres with more than 600 olive trees to be planted in the garden so farmers can produce home-made goods such as olives and pickles.

“Aside from agriculture, the project includes the construction of a large conference hall which could be used for holding training programmes for Iraqis that intend to acquire skills in the field of agriculture and food industries,” Suleiman said.

Father Rifat Bader, the director of the Catholic Centre for Studies and Media, said the project is part of efforts to mark 2016 as a “year of mercy”.

“The garden is the fruit of the mercy year. It will remain as a memory to document coexistence and embody the concepts promoted in Jordan, regardless of religion and the nationality,” he added.

“The project was contributed by Pope Francis, costing around $150,000, with the aim of launching a place to promote coexistence and dialogue,” Bader told The Jordan Times.