Word to the Wise
Friday, February 22, 2008 - Chair of St. Peter, apostle
[1 Peter 5:1-4 and Matthew 16:13-19]You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Those are important words! Many, many things have been done in reliance on those words - good things and bad things. Those words are the words that established and support the role of the papacy in our church. Peter becomes the first pope (let it be noted, by the way, that he was married!). This feast day is not about Peter, however. It is about the papacy! In every Catholic parish or religious establishment that I enter, there is usually a framed photo of the current pontiff! And in my own life, I have experienced Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and now Benedict XVI! They were and are all very different! The history of the papacy is a fascinating (and sometimes discouraging as well as inspiring) account of human virtue and vice exercising an enormous power! The complexity of the role is just as enormous. Much of the whole ecumenical enterprise hinges on what is to be done about the role of the papacy. Because the pope is also a governmental sovereign (Vatican City State) he can play a role on the world diplomatic stage. I know from listening to some of our brothers who work in the Dominican central office in Rome that the Vatican can get things done that no one else can. If we accept as a matter of faith that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, we are also challenged to accept that Christ could appoint someone to personify himself in carrying on the mission of preaching the gospel. Yes, the role is encrusted with layers of history and pageantry. But is there any other religious leader on the planet that can exercise the influence the Pope has? Many Catholics have mixed feelings about the Pope. I suspect this has as much to do with a relationship to authority as it does with who the particular authority is, but the Pope is a reality in our faith life and the Body of Christ. Even if we can't "live with him," I don't think we could "live without him" and still be Catholic. AMEN
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