Celebration of Ss Peter and Paul feast day in Damascus
On 29 June 2020, the feast of Ss Peter and Paul, founders and patrons of the Church of Antioch, was celebrated at the Mariamite Patriarchal Cathedral in Damascus.
His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East officiated at Matins and the Divine Liturgy in concelebration with an assembly of bishops and priests, including Hegumen Arseny (Sokolov) representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.
After dismissal His Beatitude congratulated bishops, clerics and laypersons with the feast, exceptionally important to the Orthodox Church of Antioch.
The Primate addressed the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church and thanked him for participation in the celebration, saying in particular: “Your participation today is a visible sign of unity between the Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Russian Orthodox Church.’ His Beatitude asked Fr. Arseny to convey his sincere gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia for the decades-long constant aid rendered to the Orthodox Church of Antioch which finds itself in the dire humanitarian and economic situation because of the war in Syria.
After the Liturgy, an assembly of clerics and monks of the diocese of Damascus was held at the reception hall of the Patriarchate of Antioch under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch John X. Hegumen Arseny attended as a guest of honour. An event meal followed.