Pope Francis gives away relics of St. Peter to Orthodox patriarch

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KMG said:
The pope could de-consecrate the Sistine Chapel and sell it and some people would argue it was a beautiful gesture of “humility.”

This was one gesture that every historical preservation society in the world would condemn. Repatriating relics is one thing…giving away Roman relics to Istanbul is another.
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It’s like when Jesus gave up His life for the stinky gentiles. Enough is enough.
 
Actually there are two other Petrine sees besides Rome: Antioch and either Alexandria or Jerusalem (which one is escapes me at the moment [haven’t had my second cup of coffee yet 😉]).

That being said, I still fail to see why this gesture is viewed so negatively by some. Sure the pope could’ve given the relics to one of the other successors of St. Peter (heck, the Maronite Patriarch takes the name of Peter on being elevated to the patriarchate, so why not give it to him!). But the reality is that the Ecumenical Patriarch is the “First Among Equals” in the Orthodox Church and is the closest thing to the highest authority outside of an ecumenical council that the Orthodox have. I don’t think any of us Catholics would be balking if the Ecumenical Patriarch decided to give a few fragments of St. Andrew’s bones to the pope.
 
The only Petrine sees are Rome and Antioch. Alexandria was founded by Mark, a disciple of Peter but not Peter. Jerusalem is not a Petrine see.
 
Ok. Fine. But that still doesn’t answer the overarching question of this entire thread: What’s the big deal?
 
And, incidentally, now that I’ve had my second cup of coffee I checked into it again, Alexandria is identified as a Petrine See - if in a lesser way because it was mediated through St. Mark (St. Peter’s direct disciple). But if we are to discuss this further, then we should start a new thread, perhaps in the Eastern Catholic subforum where we can get other Eastern Catholics involved.
 
There are two Petrine sees, Rome and Antioch, both commemorated in the traditional liturgy.
 
If you’d like to discuss this further, then please let’s start a new thread. Otherwise, let’s stick to the topic at hand.
 
Actually there is, which is why I created a new topic in the EC subforum. You’re welcome to join in the discussion if you like.

And now returning to the topic at hand…
 
Pope St Gregory taught that all three were Petrine sees… and thus in the ancient church, before the development of the Byzantine Pentarchy, Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch were the three primal sees (Alexandria for Africa and Antioch for Asia). Alexandria’s Petrine connection is, as you say, St Mark, who was dispatched there by St Peter.
 
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