Fr. Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land
Homily - Feast of the Chair of St. Peter
Mt 16:13-19
Dear brothers and sisters,
may the Lord give you peace!
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter. We are not celebrating an object, nor an archaeological memory, but a mystery: the gift that Christ made to His Church when He entrusted to Peter and his successors the service of unity, guidance, and the safeguarding of the faith.
The "chair" is the seat of the bishop in the mother church of the diocese. It is the sign of his magisterium, of his responsibility to teach, to guard, and to transmit the Gospel. The chair is not a throne of power, but a place of service.
Today's Gospel brings us to Caesarea Philippi. Jesus asks, "But you, who do you say that I am?" It is the decisive question. It is not a theoretical question, but a personal one. And Peter answers, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." It is a profession of faith born from grace: "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven."
Upon this confession, upon this faith, Jesus says, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church." The rock is not Peter's strength, but the faith he has received and professed. And yet Christ entrusts to him-fragile, impulsive, capable even of falling-the responsibility of being a visible sign of unity.
What, then, was Peter's "chair"? At first, the Cenacle in Jerusalem, the place of prayer and Pentecost. Then Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians. Finally Rome, the center of the Empire, symbol of the "Orbis," where Peter sealed his mission with martyrdom. From Jerusalem to Antioch and finally to Rome: a journey that manifests the universality of the Church.
To celebrate today the Chair of Peter means to recognize a sign of God's love. The Lord, the Good and Eternal Shepherd, did not wish to leave His Church without guidance. He willed a ministry that would safeguard the faith, sustain communion, and serve peace.
Today we are invited to pray for the ministry of the Successor of Peter. The Pope is not a worldly sovereign, but the servant of the servants of God. His chair is not a place of domination, but of responsibility: to preserve unity in truth and charity.
In a time marked by division, polarization, and confusion, the Chair of Peter is a sign of stability and communion. It does not eliminate difficulties, nor does it remove human fragility, but it reminds us that the Church is not founded on our abilities, but on Christ's faithfulness.
"The gates of hell shall not prevail." This promise is not triumphalism; it is the certainty that, despite trials, the Church remains in the hands of the Lord.
Let us ask today for the grace to renew our communion with the universal Church, to safeguard unity in our communities, and to support with our prayer the ministry of the Pope and the Bishops.
