You Are Peter !

The Lord Jesus said to Saint Peter in Cesarea of Philippus, "And I myself say to you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her"(Mat 16, 18). The Church translates the sense of those words of foundation to the Latin formula "Tu es Petrus". This has come to signify a whole commitment to the faith of the Church, a whole attitude towards its life and mission, a sign that manifests itself in those who adhere to it, the acceptance of the Plan of God.

It is not a secret that, sadly, amongst many this vibrant formula of adhesion is in crisis today. There are those who have opted to openly oppose the teachings of the Vicar of Christ. In the name of subjectivity and relativism, which assumes many labels and names, they question the foundation set by the Lord Jesus contained in the expression "Tu es Petrus".

Today the Successor of Peter, the one entrusted with his mission, is called Pope Benedict XVI. Loyalty to the Holy See has been in the past, and continues to be, the fundamental key, the "touch stone", for knowing what the position of he who calls himself Christian is with relation to the Church.

When Pope John Paul II  visited America.  He received the adhesion of millions of brothers and sisters, who in this way want to manifest their authentic love for the Church, their fellowship with the Church. The crowds that have come out to meet Pope John Paul II in all parts of the American geography, expressing an indescribable rejoicing, speak clearly of the sincere adhesion of the people in these lands to the Church. Today, we must speak of a new force-idea: Amare Ecclesiam et sentire cum Ecclesia (Love the Church and feel one with her). This is then an authentic affective and effective adhesion.