ST.Popa benedict XVI has declared
2008 the “Years of St. Paul’ in honour of the 2000th anniversary of the
apostle’s birth.
Turkish authorities have started their preparations in Antakya (Antioch)-Tarsus,
birthplace of Saint Paul.
East of Mersin, on the edge of the fertile Cukurova Plain is Tarsus. It was a
meeting place of legendary lovers Antony and Cleopatra.
The biblical city of Antakya, once the third largest city in the Roman Empire,
was the headquarters of St. Paul’s missionaries and the base for several
missionary journeys. The New Testament’s Acts of the Apostles declares that the
followers of Jesus were first called “Christians” in this place . Saint Peter,
Paul and Barnabas all preached here.
The year of Saint Paul starts on June 28th and millions of Christian pilgrims
are expected to meet in Tarsus, Turkey; his birth town.
