Solemnity of Saint Peter and Paul

Lectionary: 591​

And so I say to you, 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."

On this solemn feast of the two most important Apostles, we hear in Saint Matthew's Gospel of the authority Jesus bestowed on Peter alone. With "the keys of the kingdom" he may bind and loose in heaven and on earth. Our Catholic tradition sees in these words the singular authority of the Pope, the successor of Saint Peter. If the early church thought that Jesus would return very soon, and that Peter might be the first, last, and only "pope," they soon realized they must elect a successor. His authority over the whole Church was too important to die with the man.

Twenty centuries later, after many trials and adventures, with stories that would be implausible if they weren't true, the authority of the keys survive. If the office was considered desirable by wealthy medieval families, it is only a heavy burden for the most unfortunate of men today. Anyone who wants the job should not have it; only the most humble of men should be forced into it.

After five centuries of experimentation, not many people would argue a church without a pope is better. I have known several Protestant ministers who admired the unifying authority of the papacy in the Catholic Church.

In our time we have seen the prophetic power of the papacy demonstrated. Because he is elected by cardinals and not by a popular vote, and because he is elected for life, a pope can take an unpopular stand against abortion, artificial means of birth control and nuclear weapons. He can speak in support of "illegal" immigrants and refugees, reminding Christians of our history as a displaced people in Egypt. He can defy current experiments like gay marriage. He can speak to the entire planet about the health of our planet.

Even those who disagree with a pope on this or that issue might agree that someone should have the freedom to speak prophetically, in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). He does not answer to any vested powers in any government, corporation or church. If papal authority has sometimes been misused, like every other authority in human history, that does not mean no one should have it. 

But we must pray for our Church and for our pope. If a democratic nation gets the leadership it deserves, we can thank God we are a theocratic church.