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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Church of Rome “was born of the witness of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and made fruitful by the outpouring of their blood and that of many martyrs.” They too were poor sinners, with their errors and contradictions. And what made them great was the forgiveness of Christ, who shaped them “from conversion to conversion” and, “more than once, reached out to them in orer to put them back on the right path.” Because “Jesus never calls just one time.” That is why “we can always hope. The Jubilee is itself a reminder of this.”
Thus, Pope Leo XIV united the past and the present, the glory of the Apostles with the witness of today's martyrs, and also with the fervor of pilgrims who come from all over the world to venerate their relics in the Eternal City, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year. He did so this Sunday, June 29, celebrating the great feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Patrons of Rome. First, with the solemn Eucharistic liturgy presided over in the Vatican Basilica, and then with the brief catechesis delivered before reciting the Angelus from the window of his study in the Apostolic Palace, with St. Peter's Square packed with Romans and pilgrims, despite the breathtaking heat.
The Bishop of Rome's Ministry of Unity
Also in our days, throughout the world—Pope Prevost emphasized, referring to the martyrdom of Peter, Paul, and the Holy Martyrs of Rome - "there continue to be Christians whom the Gospel inspires to be generous and courageous even to the sacrifice of their lives." As Pope Francis recalled, "we can speak of an ecumenism of blood, an unseen yet profound unity among Christian Churches that are not yet in full and visible communion."
“The episcopal ministry” of the Bishop of Rome - the Successor of Peter asserted - “is at the service of unity, and that the Church of Rome is committed by the blood shed by Saints Peter and Paul to serving in love the communion of all Churches.”
The rock on which the Church is founded - Pope Leo emphasized, justifying the martyrdom that marks the entire Christian story in world history - “is Christ himself.” “A rock rejected by the builders, whom God made the cornerstone.” The Papal Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, built near the sites of the martyrdom of the two Apostles - the Pontiff indicated - “are a sign of how that reversal continues in our own day. They are located on the outskirts of the city, “Outside the Walls,” as we say even today. What appears great and glorious to us today, was originally rejected and excluded because it ran counter to the thinking of this world.” Likewise, “those who follow Jesus must tread the path of the Beatitudes, where poverty of spirit, meekness, mercy, hunger and thirst for justice, and peace-making are often met with opposition and even persecution. Yet God’s glory shines forth in his friends and continues to shape them along the way, passing from conversion to conversion.” And at the “tombs of the Apostles, which have been the object of pilgrimage for almost two thousand years, we come to realize that we too can pass from conversion to conversion.”
“Jesus never calls just one time”
The same path “from conversion to conversion,” Pope Francis affirmed, was experienced by the Apostles themselves. In the New Testament, “the errors, conflicts and sins of those whom we venerate as the greatest Apostles were not concealed,” the Pontiff said, but “in fact, their greatness was shaped by forgiveness. The risen Lord reached out to them more than once, to put them back on the right path.” Because “Jesus never calls just one time. That is why we can always hope. The Jubilee is itself a reminder of this.” And unity in the Church and among the Churches “is fostered by forgiveness and mutual trust, beginning with our families and communities. If Jesus can trust us, we can certainly trust one another in his name.”
The disputes between Paul and Peter
In the homily read during the solemn liturgy celebrated this morning in the Vatican Basilica, Pope Leo, recalling the lives of the two Patron Saints of Rome, recalled that ecclesial communion, a gift of the Holy Spirit, did not erase their different backgrounds or possible disagreements. “Simon was a fisherman from Galilee, while Saul was highly educated and a member of the party of the Pharisees. The former immediately left everything to follow the Lord, while Paul persecuted Christians before his life-changing encounter with the risen Christ. Peter preached mainly to the Jews, whereas Paul was driven to bring the Good News to the gentiles.” As we know “the two were at odds over the proper way to deal with gentile converts, so much so that Paul tells us that, “when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned.” At the Council of Jerusalem, the two Apostles would once more debate the issue. Both “followed different paths, had different ideas and at times argued with one another with evangelical frankness. Yet this did not prevent them from living the concordia apostolorum, that is, a living communion in the Spirit, a fruitful harmony in diversity.” Precisely because ecclesial communion “is born from the impulse of the Spirit, unites differences and builds bridges of unity thanks to the rich variety of charisms, gifts and ministries.” And living communion in this way - the Pontiff continued - can guarantee that “the various gifts, united in the one confession of faith, may advance the preaching of the Gospel.” This is what “the Church needs”; what “the relationships, whether between lay people and priests, priests and bishops, bishops and the Pope need; fraternity is also needed in pastoral care, ecumenical dialogue and the friendly relations that the Church desires to maintain with the world.”
Jesus' questions and the vitality of faith
The events of Peter and Paul, Pope Leo said, "challenge us to think about the vitality of our faith."
At the heart of today’s Gospel lies the question that Jesus asked his disciples. Today he asks us that same question, challenging us to examine whether our faith life retains its energy and vitality, and whether the flame of our relationship with the Lord still burns bright: “Who do you say that I am?” Every day, at every moment in history, the Pontiff exhorted, “we must always take this question to heart. If we want to keep our identity as Christians from being reduced to a relic of the past, as Pope Francis often reminded us, it is important to move beyond a tired and stagnant faith."
During the liturgy celebrated on the Solemnity of the Patron Saints of Rome, Pope Leo also conferred the Pallium on 54 new Metropolitan Archbishops, a sign and gesture, he said, that "in recalling the pastoral responsibility entrusted to you also expresses your communion with the Bishop of Rome." Pope Leo XIII also greeted the members of the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church present at the Eucharistic liturgy, and the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, sent by Patriarch Bartholomew, “dearest brother,” and led by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon (in the photo, during the greeting with Pope Leo). (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 29/6/2025)
