After Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Supreme Pontiff, he took the name Pope Benedict XVI. He is the 265th Pope, the 264th Successor of the original Fisherman of the Church, St. Peter. Therefore, Pope Benedict XVI is now charged with the duty of being the shepherd of the flock that is the Roman Catholic Church. He is Peter. Following his acceptance of being elevated to Pope, the cardinals most likely read to him the passage from the St. Matthew's Gospel when Jesus Christ says to Peter:
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. (Mt 16:18-19)
In Latin: Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam. This is the phrase that now appears at the top of our blog. Pope Benedict XVI, truly you are Peter. Guide the Church in faith and with strength.
2 comments:
Let's hope so !
"... if the church was built on the person of Peter, then when he died the church must utterly fail." - John Owen from 'Christologia'. The words of the Messiah quoted in the Gospel of Matthew do not use the phrase "he (referring to Peter) and his successors as Bishops of Rome", quoted by Fred8478. That phrase was added by the Roman Universal Church. That would be a modification of scriptural teaching. See I Peter 2:4,5 where Peter the apostle speaks of a "living stone."
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