On the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of the Church of Rome, Leo XIV presided on Monday over the Eucharistic celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which he conferred the pallium on the new metropolitan archbishops appointed in the past year.
In a homily deeply centered on the apostolic mission and the unity of the Church, the Pontiff presented the two great apostles as models for Christians today and stressed that ecclesial communion is not built by “hardening in one’s own positions,” but by seeking points of encounter in the truth.
We now present the complete homily:
Dear brothers and sisters:
Today, in a single solemnity, we commemorate Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of the city and the diocese of Rome: chosen by Jesus, one as shepherd of his flock and the other as apostle to the Gentiles. In them we venerate two pillars of the Church.
Peter, guardian of the People of God, appears on numerous occasions in the New Testament committed to preserving communion among the brethren. It is he who, on the Sea of Galilee, after a night of apparently fruitless work, says to the Master: “We have caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the nets” (Lk 5:5), and turns back to the sea, taking the others with him as well. It is also he who, while many walk away from the Lord after the difficult discourse on the Bread of Life, says to the Messiah: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68), and remains, together with the other eleven. It is still he who, in Caesarea, recognizes in Jesus the Son of God and becomes the spokesman of all in the profession of the one faith, as we have heard in the Gospel (cf. Mt 16:13-19). Moreover, after the Resurrection, by the lakeside, he is the first to reach Christ, throwing himself into the water and swimming ahead of the others, in order to renew his love humbly and receive the confirmation of his mission (cf. Jn 21:1-17).
Peter remains faithful to that mission even when, for example in Jerusalem, the question of admitting uncircumcised pagans to baptism threatens to divide the community. He gathers the brethren, listens to them, and finally, guided by the Holy Spirit, makes the decision, preserving communion and inaugurating a new stage for the whole People of God: “We believe,” he declares, “that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (Acts 15:11).
This greatness of spirit does not mean that Peter is perfect. During the Passion he denies the Master, only to shed sincere tears of repentance afterwards (cf. Lk 22:54-62); and Paul himself, on another occasion, reproaches him for the inconsistency of some of his attitudes (cf. Gal 2:11-14). Nevertheless, he knows how to recognize his own mistakes and repent, without becoming discouraged and without ceasing to fulfill the mission of proclaiming the Gospel and gathering Christ’s flock, even to the point of martyrdom, which he suffered here in Rome, not far from where we now stand.
This faithful and patient concern for unity is well expressed in the symbol of the keys, by which he is often identified (cf. Mt 16:19). A key is not meant to break down doors, but to open and close them, seeking within the proper handles and accompanying their movements, to undo the locks, slide the bolts, and allow the leaves to turn freely on their hinges, uniting spaces and transforming so many isolated rooms into a single welcoming house. In the same way, communion in the Church is not built by hardening in one’s own positions, but by seeking, in the hearts of all, points of encounter in the Truth, in whose single light all become instruments of growth for one another.
From this perspective we may interpret the mission the Lord entrusted to Peter and his successors, for the benefit of the entire holy People of God: to listen, with their help, to the voices of each one; to discern inspirations; to guide paths; to correct errors; to instruct, encourage, exhort, and accompany the brethren so that, docile to the action of the same Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12:1-11), they may cooperate in one another’s salvation and that of all humanity. Yet Peter’s example is also an invitation for every Christian to become an artisan of unity, placing God at the center of his or her existence and drawing near to the brethren, attentive to their circumstances and needs (cf. Francis, Catechesis, 9 October 2024), in order to live with them in charity and thus “carry out the proclamation of the Gospel” (cf. 2 Tm 4:17).
This is also the teaching of Paul, the other great apostle we celebrate today, tireless herald of the Good News. He too has his distinctive symbols: the book and the sword, closely united. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews explains this well when he writes that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,” capable of penetrating “to the point where soul and spirit are divided” and of discerning “the desires and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).
This is what God accomplished in the heart of the young Saul, conquering him (cf. Phil 3:12) and leading him first to be converted to the Gospel, adopting a new name; then to proclaim it throughout the world; and finally to bear witness to it, like Peter, in this very city, even to the point of giving his life. The Apostle to the Gentiles allowed himself to be transformed by the power of the Word of God, which turned him away from violence and led him along the path of love.
Saint Augustine, commenting on his conversion and mission, said: “While he was on the way to Damascus, breathing threats and murder, the heavenly voice called him (cf. Acts 9:1-7), the Word struck him down” (cf. Sermon 299/A augm., 6). And he added: “He made the persecutor of the Church a preacher of peace, forgave all his sins, and placed him in such a position that through his person the sins of others might also be forgiven” (ibid.).
Dear brothers and sisters, today it is important to fix our gaze on these two saints — Peter and Paul - to understand how we too, like them, can be apostles and artisans of unity, generous servants of the truth in charity. It is precisely in this spirit that we prepare to celebrate the ancient and evocative rite of conferring the pallia on the metropolitan archbishops. This band of white wool adorned with crosses expresses the commitment of every pastor — and indeed of every Christian — to carry on his or her shoulders the brothers and sisters entrusted to them, as true lambs of the Lord’s flock, and to sacrifice for them energy, time, effort, and even life itself, so that the Gospel may reach all and the whole world may find in it harmony and concord (cf. Pastoral Const. Gaudium et Spes, 38).
With these sentiments, I am pleased to extend my cordial greeting to the members of the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, sent by our beloved brother His Holiness Bartholomew and led by His Eminence Emmanuel, Metropolitan of Chalcedon.
Let us ask Saints Peter and Paul to sustain us on the path of communion, following in the footsteps of the Savior.
It is the path He has marked out for us, the one for which He prayed to the Father at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 17:21-23), the goal He has taught us to long for with confident hope (cf. Benedict XVI, Homily at the Mass with the Conferral of the Pallium on the New Metropolitans, 29 June 2012).