Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - In St Peter’s Basilica on Thursday June 29, Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of Rome Pope Benedict XVI presided Mass concelebrated by 27 new archbishops on whom he conferred the Pallium taken from the casket kept on the tomb of St Peter. A delegation sent by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople was present for the occasion.
In his homily the Pope reflected on the words Jesus spoke to Peter - "You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church" (Mt 16, 18) - recalling that “the Gospels tell of three different situations in which the Lord, each time in a special way, gives Peter the task which will be proper to him”.
In the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “Peter makes his profession of faith in Jesus recognising him as the Messiah and Son of God. Because of this a special task is conferred on him with three images: the image of the rock which becomes the foundation or corner stone, the image of the keys, the image of binding and loosing”. Calling attention to the “geographical place and chronological context of these words”, Pope Benedict XVI said “the promise is made at the source of the Jordan, on the frontier of the land of Israel towards the pagan world. The moment of the promise marks a decisive turning point on Jesus’ path: now the Lord will take the road for Jerusalem and for the first time He tells his disciples that the journey towards the Holy City is the path to the Cross ...but at the same time it is the path to the vastness of the world where he goes before us as the Risen Lord so that in the world may shine the light of his word and the presence of his love... The Church - and in her Christ - still suffers today. In her Christ is again scorned and struck; they try again and again to push him out of the world. Again and again the little boat of the Church is shaken violently by the wind of ideologies which penetrate her with their waters and she appears doomed to sink. Yet nevertheless precisely in the suffering Church, Christ triumphs”.
The Gospel of St Luke tells how at the Last Supper the Lord gave Peter a special task. “This time Jesus’ words to Simon are found immediately after the institution of the Most Holy Eucharist - the Pope explained. We can see in the institution of the Eucharist the founding act of the Church. Through the Eucharist the Lord gives his disciples not only himself but also the reality of a new communion among them which will last in time ‘until He comes again’.” Jesus explains what it means to be a disciple, the "ministry" is a service. In the face of the wonder of the disciples of Jesus who in every era are at times surprised by the fact that “God gives Satan so much freedom giving him the power to shake us violently”, is contra-positioned the prayer of Jesus “the power of the evil one is limited”. “Jesus’ prayer is the Church’s protection. May we take shelter under this protection, cling to it to be safe” the Pope continued. But Jesus prays especially for Peter, to safeguard his faith as a service to the brothers, aware of the weakness of Simon who would deny Him. “By means of this fall, Peter- and with him the Church of every era - must learn that one’s own strength is not sufficient to build and guide the Lord’s Church. No one can do this alone - the Pope said -. Peter’s task is anchored to Jesus’ prayer. This is what reassures him as he perseveres amidst human failings. And the Lord entrusts him with this task in the context of the Supper, in connection with the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist. The Church is at heart a Eucharistic community and so communion in the Body of the Lord. The task of Peter is to preside this universal communion, to maintain it in the world as visible unity.”
Lastly the Pope referred to the Primacy of Peter as found in St John’s Gospel. “The Lord is Risen and as such he entrusts his flock to Peter. Here too the Cross and the Resurrection interpenetrate each other. Jesus tells Peter that his path will go towards the cross. In this Basilica built over the tomb of Peter- the tomb of a poor man - we see precisely that, through the Cross, the Lord always overcomes. His power is not a power of this world. It is the power of good - of truth and of love which is stronger than death. Yes, his promise is true: the powers of death, the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church which He has built on Peter (cfr Mt 16, 18) and that precisely in this way he continues to build personally.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 30/6/2006 - righe 55, parole 854)
