On the day of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Patriarch John X of Antioch, together with representatives of the Phanar, attended a service at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. One shouldn’t be surprised at the presence of representatives of the Church of Constantinople in Rome, but the arrival of the Primate of the Patriarchate of Antioch raises some questions, writes Pravblog.

“It is clear that on this day the Church of Antioch celebrates the memory of its founders. According to legend, it was founded by the apostles Peter and Paul about 37 years old. The relics of the apostles are kept in Rome, in the aforementioned cathedral. Therefore, the arrival of Patriarch John can be viewed as a pilgrimage.

By the way, this is not the first visit of Patriarch John X to Rome. In 2013, he visited the Vatican and met with Pope Francis, discussing issues related to the events in Syria. However, in any case, such visits do not happen by chance and are not ordinary,” writes the Telegram channel.

The blog post suggests that “the visit is associated with certain events dedicated to peace in the Middle East. June 27 was the Day of Peace in the Middle East. And on July 1, an ecumenical prayer service will be held in the Vatican, followed by a round table with three working sessions, in which ten primates of the Catholic and Orthodox local Churches of Lebanon will take part.”