There was a great deal of suspense about what Benedict XVI’s message would be during the Papal homily for the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, patron saints of Rome. The ceremony began with the conferral of the Pallium on the new Metropolitan Archbishops, a symbol of the special tie with the Bishop of Rome. Some expected the Pope to mention the recent Vatileaks scandal.
He did, in his own way, with a homily focused on the service given by Peter’s successor.
Above all, he recalled that "Peter and Paul much as they differ from one another in human terms and notwithstanding the conflicts that arose in their relationship, illustrate a new way of being brothers, lived according to the Gospel, an authentic way made possible by the grace of Christ’s Gospel working within them."
"Only by following Jesus does one arrive at this new brotherhood.”
The Pope reflected on what it means to be a “rock” by referring to a passage from Saint Matthew’s Gospel which describes Peter as such.
“But in what sense is Peter the rock? How is he to exercise this prerogative, which naturally he did not receive for his own sake?” the Pope asked himself.
Benedict XVI then recalled how when Peter did not understand Jesus’ true mission which involved sacrifice on the cross, he scolds the Messiah, who in turn replies to him in a harsh manner, calling him Satan: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me ...”
“The disciple who, through God’s gift, was able to become a solid rock, here shows himself for what he is in his human weakness: a stone along the path, a stone on which men can stumble – in Greek, skandalon,” the Pope explained.
“Here we see the tension that exists between the gift that comes from the Lord and human capacities; and in this scene between Jesus and Simon Peter we see anticipated in some sense the drama of the history of the papacy itself, characterized by the joint presence of these two elements: on the one hand, because of the light and the strength that come from on high, the papacy constitutes the foundation of the Church during its pilgrimage through history; on the other hand, across the centuries, human weakness is also evident, which can only be transformed through openness to God’s action,” the Pope added.
The men of the Church, that very “rock” represented by the Bishop of Rome, must be aware of their weakness and of the fact that the efficiency of their service does not only depend on their abilities and strategies.
Instead – Ratzinger explained – it depends on whether they are followers of Jesus and open to the action of God.
The Pope also mentioned Jesus’ promise: “the gates of the underworld”, that is, the forces of evil, will not prevail, “non praevalebunt” (it is important to note that the term “non praevalebunt” appears under the name of Vatican daily broadsheet L’Osservatore Romano).”
Peter will have to be defended from the “gates of the underworld”, from the destructive power of evil,” and he “receives assurances concerning the future of the Church, the new community founded by Jesus Christ, which extends to all of history, far beyond the personal existence of Peter himself.”
Benedict XVI explained that “the authority of loosing and binding” which belongs to Peter’s successor, “consists in the power to remit sins. And this grace, which defuses the powers of chaos and evil, is at the heart of the Church’s ministry.”
“The Church is not a community of the perfect, but a community of sinners, obliged to recognize their need for God’s love, their need to be purified through the Cross of Jesus Christ.”
At the end of the ceremony, during the Angelus, the Pope said something which gives further confirmation of the unfoundedness of the rumours surrounding his resignation: “I also depend on your prayers so that I can continue to serve the Church with the mildness and force of the Holy Spirit.”