“United in origins, we have been separated by history; so returning to our origins means seeking to restore unity”, said Monsignor Luigi Padovese, newly appointed apostolic vicar of Anatolia in his opening homily at the celebration held in the grotto that bears the name of the first of the apostles on the slopes of the Mount of the Cross at Antioch, on the feast of St. Peter on 29 June. “This feast he said expresses in exemplary form the peaceful co-existence between the various religious confessions which is the unique characteristic of the city of Antioch. Catholics, Orthodox, Muslims, Aloits, Armenians, Protestants and Jews in fact ascend the mountain to pray and celebrate together from the first light of dawn. The pilgrimage to the grotto, the lighting of a candle, the blessing of the bread offered by the people and returned, blessed and shared, are some of the signs of this peaceful co-existence”. The culminating moment of the celebrations in honour of St. Peter was the ecumenical prayer for peace in the esplanade in front of the church in the grotto. The ecumenical liturgy was organized by the parish priest of the Catholic community, Capuchin Father Domenico Bertogli, with the presence of leaders of the Orthodox and Protestant communities, the Moslem mufti and the civil authorities, who have always tried to promote this peaceful co-existence between the religious communities.
