The ancient Aqaba Church witnesses to early Christianity in Jordan. / Credit: Sanad Sahliyeh/ACI MENAACI MENA, Dec 21, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).In Aqaba, a port city on the Red Sea in Jordan, an archaeological church site dating to the late third or early fourth century is being highlighted as one of the world's oldest purpose-built Christian worship spaces, constructed before Christianity received official recognition in the Roman Empire.Discovered in 1998 during excavations led by a team under American archaeologist Thomas Parker, the structure is being considered a significant milestone in early Christian history.The ancient church of Aqaba is a silent relic bearing witness to early Christianity in Jordan. Credit: Sanad Sahliyeh/ACI MENAThe team of researchers described a basilica-style layout, central nave, side aisles, and an eastern apse, suggesting an already organized local Christian community.Artifacts reported at the site include preserved walls, glass lamps, pottery, an...
The ancient Aqaba Church witnesses to early Christianity in Jordan. / Credit: Sanad Sahliyeh/ACI MENA
ACI MENA, Dec 21, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
In Aqaba, a port city on the Red Sea in Jordan, an archaeological church site dating to the late third or early fourth century is being highlighted as one of the world's oldest purpose-built Christian worship spaces, constructed before Christianity received official recognition in the Roman Empire.
Discovered in 1998 during excavations led by a team under American archaeologist Thomas Parker, the structure is being considered a significant milestone in early Christian history.
The ancient church of Aqaba is a silent relic bearing witness to early Christianity in Jordan. Credit: Sanad Sahliyeh/ACI MENA
The team of researchers described a basilica-style layout, central nave, side aisles, and an eastern apse, suggesting an already organized local Christian community.
Artifacts reported at the site include preserved walls, glass lamps, pottery, and Roman coins, which helped date the building to roughly A.D. 293–303.
Nearby, archaeologists also uncovered a cemetery thought to be tied to the same community, with small metal pieces interpreted as parts of a bronze cross.
The ancient Aqaba Church is a silent relic bearing witness to early Christianity in Jordan. Credit: Sanad Sahliyeh/ACI MENA
With the site now officially reopened to visitors, Jordanian authorities are framing it as both a cultural landmark and a symbol of the country's long-standing religious plurality, underscoring Aqaba's place (ancient "Aila") in the broader Christian landscape of the region.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.
The pope with boys and girls from Italian Catholic Action on Dec. 18, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Dec 20, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).Pope Leo XIV told the young people of Italian Catholic Action that they can perform a simple gesture that would be the best gift this Christmas: make peace."Before the holy night of Christmas, think of someone with whom you can make peace," the pontiff urged members of the organization, founded in 1868, which has established itself as one of the main lay organizations of the Church in Italy.'A gift more valuable than those you can buy in stores'"It will be a gift more valuable than those you can buy in stores, because peace is a gift that is truly found only in the heart," he added.He said peace is the "Catholic action par excellence," because it is "the gesture that transforms us as witnesses of Jesus, the redeemer of the world."In this way, Leo made it clear that peace "is not only the absence of war" but above all "a friendship be...
Downtown Kansas City, Kansas / Credit: Jamie Squire/GettyCNA Staff, Dec 20, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).Multiple Catholic schools in Kansas were targeted by what were apparently hoax bomb threats this week, according to authorities. Law enforcement agencies in the Kansas City area reported investigating threats at numerous Catholic schools on Dec. 19. The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas confirmed in a press statement that "several" Catholic schools in the archdiocese had "received bomb threats" on both Dec. 18 and Dec. 19. "At this time, students and staff are safe," Archdiocesan Superintendent Vince Cascone said in the statement. "Law enforcement continues to investigate, and we are following their guidance closely."The archdiocese did not post a list of the schools affected by the bomb threats, though local media reported at least 13 schools targeted, 12 of which were Catholic. The Olathe, Kansas Police Department posted on Facebook that it had investigated a threat at the cit...
Iskali, a ministry that serves young Hispanic Catholics in the United States, seeks to form active missionary disciples. / Credit: IskaliCNA Staff, Dec 20, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Fifteen years ago, Vicente Del Real felt called to create a way to reach out to young Hispanic Catholics in the U.S. and provide them with a space to encounter God and use their gifts and talents for the Church. He went on to found Iskali, a nonprofit based in Chicago that promotes the leadership and holistic development of Latino youth, helping them flourish spiritually, personally, academically, and socially. Inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe's role in the Americas as "the star of the new evangelization," Iskali works to form, empower, and equip young Latinos to become transformative leaders and to invigorate the Catholic Church.The name "Iskali" comes from the Nahuatl, or Aztec, language symbolizing growth, resurgence, and new beginnings. This was also the language Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke wh...
The ancient Aqaba Church witnesses to early Christianity in Jordan. / Credit: Sanad Sahliyeh/ACI MENA
