Pope welcomes Orthodox delegation for patronal feast

June 28, 2011

On June 28, Pope Benedict XVI greeted a delegation of Orthodox Church officials to the Vatican, where they will join in the celebration of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29.

The Orthodox officials were representing the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I. Each year the Orthodox leaders sends a delegation to join in the celebration of Rome’s patronal feast. In return, a delegation from the Vatican visits Istanbul for the feast of St. Andrew, the patron of that Orthodox see.

The Pope welcomed the Orthodox delegates, telling them that their participation in the annual celebration of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul “expresses the true friendship and brotherhood which unites the Church of Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, bonds that are solidly based on the faith received from the testimony of the apostles.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope Benedict XVI greets ecumenical delegation (Vatican Radio)