Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles. Simon, son of Jonah and brother of Andrew, was the first among the disciples to confess that Jesus was the Christ, Son of the living God, who named him Peter. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, preached Christ Crucified to Jews and Greeks. Both, in faith and love for Jesus Christ, proclaimed the Gospel in the city of Rome and died as martyrs during Emperor Nero's reign: Peter, according to tradition, was crucified upside down and buried in the Vatican beside the Via Triumphalis; Paul died by the sword and was buried beside the Via Ostiensis. The triumph of the two Apostles is celebrated on this day with equal honor and veneration throughout the whole world.