The Melkite Catholic Church is a continuation of the original See of Antioch that traces its existence all the way back to St. Peter according to the Canons of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. This claim is accepted by the Vatican and is not disputed by the Maronite Catholic Church (though it could be on historical grounds) nor the Syriac Catholic Church (the legal continuation of what was the Syrian Orthodox Church, the current Syriac Orthodox Church being a later counter creation) which both also have Patriarchs of Antioch.