Patriarch John of Antioch left for Rometranslated

The Patriarch of Antioch and all the East departed this morning from Beirut airport for Rome, Mr. John I' as part of a planned official visit to the Vatican where he will have a meeting with Pope Leo XIV.  The Metropolitans of Western and Southern Europe Mr. Ignatios and Mr. Antonios of Iliopolis are accompanying the Blessed Sacrament.

The Patriarch Mr. John I was accompanied to the airport as a representative of the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, and the Minister of National Defense, Michel Mansour. "We carry in our hearts the concerns of the tormented East and we pray to the Lord of Peace to grant peace to His world", declared His Beatitude shortly before boarding the plane.

The trip of the Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Church to Rome will also include meetings with Cardinal Kurt Koch, head of the Vatican's sector for the Promotion of Christian Unity as well as Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, responsible for the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome. The program of the Patriarch of Antioch will also include a meeting with representatives of the community of Saint...