Barcelona, Spain, Jun 25, 2007 / 09:13 am
Archbishop Lluis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona, Spain, reminded Catholics this week that the Pope is “the beginning and the visible foundation of ecclesial unity, and he called for prayers for Benedict XVI on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.
In an article entitled, “You Are Peter,” the archbishop reflected on the apostle Peter and on how “he left his family and his boat” for Christ.
“Peter was one of the first disciples of Jesus and one of the favorites. We always find him at the Lord’s side and as the spokesman of the twelve. Peter appears in the Gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles as an outstanding figure among of the apostles, through the personal choice and decision of Jesus,” he said.
“The name of Peter which Jesus gave to Simon means rock,” the archbishop continued, “a word which the Bible applies to God and to Christ respectively.” “The role of primacy of Peter and his successors is of utmost importance for the Catholic Church, spread from East to West. It constitutes a very valuable service for the entire Church and for each one of the diocesan churches. The ministry of the successor of Peter is not something external to each diocese; it belongs to the internal life of each particular church as an essential condition without which there would not be a truly Catholic Church.”