Next Saturday, 22^nd February, we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St Peter. The “chair” is not a piece of furniture! The “chair” refers to the seat of authority (Latin: cathedra) Christ gave to St Peter as the first Pope. The Feast itself originated in the third century to honour the supremacy of St Peter and his successors, and the special role of the Papacy.

When JESUS was at Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples the question, “Who do you say that I am?” And it was Simon Peter who said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” To which JESUS responded, “Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in Heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 16:15-19). So here the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity Himself confirmed the foundation of His Church on Peter the rock. Notice JESUS gave Peter the “keys of the kingdom of Heaven”, a sign of authority and a symbol of governance. This was not to be something temporary. Our Lord was establishing something until the end of time, and every Pope from St Peter to Pope Francis stands in this unbroken line of succession. Therefore while Christ is Head of the Church, Pope Francis is the visible head of the Church on earth, and the chief guardian of the Deposit of Faith handed down from the Apostles who had received it from Christ, and whoever is Pope must hand it on faithfully to us.

The Deposit of Faith, revealed by Christ in Scripture and Tradition, was given once to all the Apostles. That is why the Church teaches that Divine Revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle, which was St John. The Pope does not add to this revelation, nor can he change it or contradict it. His mission is to safeguard it and teach it, ensuring that his words are in harmony with what the Church has always believed and taught. So while the Pope has a lot of power, it is not limitless. He cannot, for example, change Divine Law. He cannot amend the Ten Commandments or redefine sin or reverse Christ’s teachings.

Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979) once told a story of a priest who was troubled by the amount of power the Pope has. The priest asked, “What if the Pope decided to change doctrine?” Sheen responded with the following analogy: “Imagine a postman receives a letter from the king. His duty is to deliver it to the people. But what if on the way he decides the letter is outdated and rewrites it in his own words? Would he be faithful to his mission? No! The Pope is like that postman – his job is to deliver, not rewrite the message of Christ.” So just as Peter was not free to teach whatever he wanted, but only what he had received from Christ, so too is every Pope bound to uphold the Faith and hand it on intact for future generations.

So we should thank God for the gift of the Papacy, and be faithful to the Church and the teachings entrusted to St Peter and his successors. Our fidelity cannot be based on personal opinions but on the unchanging truth that Christ has given us. There is much confusion in the world and even in the Church today. So let us always remember to pray for the Pope in his God-given mission of steering the barque of Peter – that is the Catholic Church, and in guiding souls through the stormy seas of life towards the safe harbour of Heaven.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC