ROME(ANA/Th.Andreadis)- The Prayer Day for peace in the Middle East started with the arrival of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Bari, Italy.
The choice of the location, the town of Bari in the south Adriatic, has a deep symbolic value in terms of Catholic-Orthodox relations. Orthodox Christians are devoted to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of Bari which is considered a “window towards the East”.
The prayers will be in Italian, Greek, English, Arabic, Armenian and in the Assyrian language.
The main idea of this initiative is that the differences should be solve through dialogue and not violence, particularly in the region of the Middle East, the mother of all the monotheistic religions.
A gust of wind blows the vestments of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, left, as they pray for peace in the Middle East with an unprecedented gathering of Orthodox patriarchs and Catholic leaders in Bari, southern Italy, Saturday, July 7, 2018. Pope Francis denounced the “complicit silence” that has allowed violence to consume the Middle East and drive tens of thousands of Christians from their homes, during a remarkable gathering Saturday of Orthodox patriarchs and Catholic leaders united in praying for peace in the region. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)Pope Francis, background right, flanked by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, gathers with Orthodox patriarchs and Catholic leaders inside the St. Nicholas Basilica on the occasion of a daylong prayer for peace in the Middle East in Bari, southern Italy, Saturday, July 7, 2018. Pope Francis is on a one-day pilgrimage to Bari, an Adriatic port city, to reflect and pray on the plight of Christians in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, 2nd from right, greet faithful outside St. Nicholas Basilica on the occasion of a daylong prayer for peace in the Middle East with an unprecedented gathering of Orthodox patriarchs and Catholic leaders in Bari, southern Italy, Saturday, July 7, 2018. Pope Francis is on a one-day pilgrimage to Bari, an Adriatic port city, to reflect and pray on the plight of Christians in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pope Francis is flanked by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, left, as he arrives to host a daylong prayer for peace in the Middle East with an unprecedented gathering of Orthodox patriarchs and Catholic leaders in Bari, southern Italy, Saturday, July 7, 2018. Pope Francis is on a one-day pilgrimage to Bari, an Adriatic port city, to reflect and pray on the plight of Christians in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)Pope Francis, right, is followed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I as he hosts a daylong prayer for peace in the Middle East with an unprecedented gathering of Orthodox patriarchs and Catholic leaders in Bari, southern Italy, Saturday, July 7, 2018. Pope Francis is on a one-day pilgrimage to Bari, an Adriatic port city, to reflect and pray on the plight of Christians in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
