The World is His Parish

THE STORY OF OUR HOLY FATHER THE POPE REALLY BEGINS WHEN... ... Jesus, having come into the district of Caesarea Philippi, began to ask His disciples, saying, "Who do men say the Son of Man is?" But they said, "Some say John the Baptist and others, Elias; and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then Jesus answered and said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to thee, but My Father in heaven. And I say to thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."-Matt, 16, 13-19. Thus Our Lord founded our Church and appointed Peter His Vicar on earth-the first Pope. There have been many Popes since then, but one thing has never changed. Each is Christ's Vicar and each possesses the same power and authority that was given to St. Peter. Our Lord spoke both to Peter and to Peter's successors, and so the story that began with Peter at Caesarea Philippi was continued at Rome with Eugenio Pacelli. As Our Lord changed Simon Bar-Jona's name to Peter, the Holy Father changed his name to Pius. The Rock upon which the Church stood from 1939 to 1958 was known to us as Pius XII.