By Bishop James Conley
I was blessed to live in Rome for over a decade, first during my graduate studies in Moral Theology as a young priest and later serving as an official in the Congregation for Bishops in the Roman Curia. Those who have visited The Eternal City know of its great majesty, with its churches, architecture and art, designed and crafted by the world’s greatest architects and artists found literally around every Roman street corner.
The pinnacle, however, of Rome’s splendor is St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the western world. Built in the Renaissance style, St. Peter’s leaves pilgrims speechless as they observe it from the outside and within. Among many other priceless works of art that lift the mind and heart to God, St. Peter’s enshrines Michelangelo’s magnificent sculpture of the Pietà, which depicts Jesus in the arms of the Blessed Virgin Mary as he gives his life for all of us. The sprawling colonnade surrounding the piazza, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini symbolizes the welcoming arms of Holy Mother Church.
St. Peter’s Basilica gets a lot of attention and rightfully so due to its artistic splendor. Because of this, it may sometimes be forgotten that the pope’s cathedral church as bishop of Rome is actually the Basilica of St. John Lateran, not St. Peter’s.
St. John Lateran, one of the four major basilicas, is magnificent in its own right. The basilica is known for its beautiful mosaics and frescoes; its gargantuan statues; its magnificent Baroque, Neo-classical architecture.
The Lateran Basilica is called a cathedral because it contains the pope’s cathedra, which can be translated as “chair” or “throne.” There’s also something striking about the pope’s cathedra in his cathedral.
The cathedra is situated in the apse of the basilica under a dome decorated with beautiful mosaics and situated at a great distance between the cathedra and the altar. The cathedra looks almost lonely. The pope would get plenty of exercise traveling to and from the cathedra during liturgies!
I highlight the Holy Father’s cathedra at St. John Lateran because it symbolizes the office of the pope, a seat currently held by Pope Francis. It’s fitting that the chair stands alone in the apse of St. John Lateran, for Jesus gave unique authority to the apostle Peter.
We recall that Jesus tells 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).
On February 22, we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. According to an ancient tradition, February 22 was the day Jesus changed the apostle Simon’s name to Peter, and gave him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.
When we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, we celebrate the history of the papacy—the men whom Christ has entrusted as his vicars. We pray for them, and we ask them to pray for us. We also celebrate the gifts of authority and infallibility, given to the Pope in service to the Church. Pope Francis is the 265th successor of St. Peter.
We celebrate on this feast day the assurance that our Church is led and protected by the Holy Spirit. We call the Pope the “Holy Father,” out of reverence and respect for his office and rightfully so.
The Holy Father is a successor of St. Peter, a line that has gone unbroken for the 2,000-year history of the Church. He holds primacy over all the other bishops throughout the world, and seeks to unite the universal church throughout the world.
Jesus has given the pope and all bishops, as successors of the apostles, the calling to exercise the three-fold office of teaching, sanctifying, and governing. This calling is the duty to continue the very mission of Jesus throughout all of time.
Carrying out this three-fold office of Jesus is real authority, but authority that must be accepted with both humility and zeal. It is not authority or power in a worldly sense.
The Chair of Peter or the cathedra of a bishop is not for the purpose of exerting one’s will on anyone. It’s about bringing the truths of Jesus Christ to the world; it’s about bringing the saving mysteries of Jesus to the every soul; it’s about letting Christ reign in all human hearts.
The office of pope, and the office of bishop, is an office of service. Our Lord himself said to his disciples, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as ‘Benefactors’ but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant” (Lk 22:25-26).
We live at a time in our world and in our country particularly where there is a great deal of political strife. This should be no surprise to us, as it can be seen in many instances throughout the history of the fallen world in which we live. Christians should be a light in this dark and often cruel world, pursuing the common good, doing our own part in the vocation that we are given, seeking solidarity among each other, and protecting those who are defenseless.
St. Gregory the Great, the patron of our diocesan seminary, described his ministry as pope as being servus servorum Dei, “the servant of the servants of God.” This title has been used on papal documents ever since. It’s a beautiful expression of the subordination of all papal authority, a subordination of service to the mission of Christ.
As we celebrate this upcoming Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, I ask you to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis. In many respects he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is the successor of Peter, who was the first bishop of Rome. He is the vicar of Christ on earth, and sits on this sometimes lonely throne, a symbol of authority, but authority meant for the service to all.
