Leicester, 25th August, 2002
My brothers and sisters.
Where is the true Church?
When we see a lot of Churches,
when everybody says: „our Church is true!”,
when the people think: „it doesn’t matter which Church”,
we must ask: Where is the true Church?
You heard today’s gospel.
Jesus put this question to his disciples: „Who do people say the Son of Man is?” And they said: „Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” „But you” – he said – „who do you say I am?” Then Simon Peter spoke up: „You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
There were a lot of answers, but only one was true – the Peter’s answer and on this answer, on this faith in Christ, Jesus built the true Church.
We can’t say: every Church is true.
We can’t say: every faith is true.
Jesus is the Son of God, he is not John the Baptist.
Where there is the true faith in Christ, there is the true Church.
Sons of Peter’s faith,
Where is the true Church?
You heard today’s gospel.
Jesus said: „Simon of Jonah, you are a happy man! You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.”
’Petros’ – this Greek word means 'a rock’ and on this rock, on this man Jesus built the true Church. Jesus didn’t build Church on John or on Andrew. He built the Church on Simon who called Peter.
How can there be the true Church without a Petrine ministry? It is so contrary to Scripture to lack a Peter. The Gospels and Acts are impregnated with the role of Peter as head of the Apostles and steward of the divine household. Like Hilkiah in Isaiah 22, the keyholder of the House of David.
We can’t say: every Church is true.
We can’t say: every faith is true.
Christians are saying since the second century:
Ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesia – Where there is Peter, there is the Church.
Sons of Peter’s faith,
Where is the true Church?
You heard today’s gospel.
Jesus said: Peter, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth, shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.
The people say often: Peter died and now we can decide what we want: the ordination of women, contraception, abortion. Now we can decide that there is no purgatory and hell doesn’t exist, either.
No, my brothers and sisters. Not this way…
Jesus said once for all: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind… whatever you loose…
Not anyone, not anybody, but you – Peter.
Did Jesus think only about Simon of Jonah? Did Jesus say it only to Simon of Jonah?
It is impossible! Because the Church lives after the Peter’s death and the Church must answer to several question because the world is changing.
The Church has always believed that the bishop of Rome is Peter.
So in the name of the truth we must ask the other Churches:
Where have you got Peter?
Where is your Peter?
Where is the man who has got the keys of the kingdom of heaven?
We can’t say: every Church is true.
Ubi Patrus, ibi ecclesia – Where there is the Pope, there is the true Church.
Sons of Peter’s faith,
There are many Churches and maybe it is no so easy as I said,
but honestly speaking everybody can hear today’s gospel.
Jesus said: Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man!
Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.
The true faith of Peter was a grace.
To be in the true Church is a grace.
We believe in Jesus, the Son of God.
We were born in Church which has got Peter.
We can say: our Church is the true Church, but we can’t forget this is a grace not a merit.
We must love the other people, we should pray for and with non-Catholics, we must be good to all.
But in the name of the truth, in the name of today’s gospel we, who live in saint Peter’s parish,
we must know and we have to say:
Ubi Patrus, ibi Ecclesia!
Where there is Peter, there is the true Church.