The priest spoke about the role of the Apostle Peter in the formation of the Christian Church.

The Apostle Peter assumed the burden of leading early Christian communities and devoted the rest of his life to preaching and establishing the church hierarchy. He became the building organizer of the Universal Church and relations between believers and communities throughout the Roman Empire. Philip Ilyashenko, a priest and vice-rector of St. Tikhon's Orthodox University for the Humanities, told Izvestia about this.

"Even during his earthly life, Jesus Christ, the Lord God, said to Peter, 'You, Simon, will be called Peter. ("Peter" is Greek for stone.) And on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Such a blessing from God was given to Peter," the priest explained.

Nevertheless, the Gospel tells of the apostle's forced threefold renunciation of Jesus Christ and subsequent repentance. In the Orthodox tradition, this story of a fall and deep repentance is contrasted with Judas' betrayal.

"The Apostle Peter is so fiery, indomitable, ready to defend his beloved teacher from arrest with a sword in his hand, then renounce him immediately after a few literally hours, as if he did not know this man. According to legend, the Apostle Peter woke up every morning when the roosters were crowing and mourned his betrayal when he said three times that he did not know Jesus Christ," the priest noted.

The blessing of Jesus was embodied in the actual deeds of the apostle after Pentecost. He assumed the burden of leading early Christian communities and devoted the rest of his life to preaching and establishing the church hierarchy, which determined the path of all future Christianity.

"The apostle had permission from the Lord Jesus Christ for a blessing and a vocation to preach the faith of Christ and spread it throughout the world. To be her such a leader. And he becomes such a building organizer of the Universal Church, that is, of the church institution, of relations between believers and communities of believers throughout the Roman Empire," the priest summed up.

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