The Grand Master’s Homily at St. Peter's Basilica

Dear Knights and Dames,

Simon of Galilee, who was a fisherman on the Lake of Tiberias. was called by Jesus to follow Him, along with his brother Andrew, and together with James and John, his companions. Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter and announced that He will make him a fisher of men. Within the group of Apostles, we later see Peter speaking on behalf of everyone, who Jesus chooses to have him by His side at the pivotal moments of His life, such as

Notwithstanding Peter’s denial, Jesus entrusted him with the task of safeguarding the Church, which Jesus reaffirmed with this mission at Tiberias, by the very lake where it had all begun. Peter would later assume the role of first witness, perform healings, be summoned by the Sanhedrin, and arrested multiple times. He continued to support the Church in Jerusalem and the missionary zeal of Paul and the other apostles. Tradition holds that Peter spent the final years of his life in Rome, and his martyrdom is placed during Nero’s persecutions in the year 67. Both tradition and iconography depict him as having been crucified upside down, which was carried out in reverence for the crucifixion of the Master. He is buried here, on this Vatican hill, where an inscription and the red wall beneath us bear the words: “Pétros ení” (Peter is here).

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus said to him: “And I tell you, you are Peter,

and on this rock I will build my Church,

and the powers of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:16–18)

In these lines from the Gospel, we find Peter’s personal faith, which is transmitted and professed by all his successors. At the same time, we also see Jesus’ faith, when He responds: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18).

Peter’s faith, as Jesus Himself affirms, is born from above; from “my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 16:17). Yet there had already been a foreshadowing of this faith on that memorable evening when, amid the stormy sea, the Lord appeared walking upon the waters and calmed them. Then came the exclamation: “Truly you are the Son of God!” (Mt 14:33). It is, however, in the Paschal event that Peter’s faith matures. Before the empty tomb, in the encounter with the Risen One on the evening of the Resurrection, while they were gathered behind closed doors; and finally at Tiberias, after the miraculous catch of fish, where “none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord” (Jn 21:12). It is there, at Tiberias, that Peter makes his profession of love, after asking three times: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” (Jn 21:15–17). This is the moment when Jesus entrusts the primacy of love to him. Consequently, on the day of Pentecost, it would be Peter who addresses the people of Jerusalem and proclaims: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs… God raised Him up, freeing Him from the pains of death… [and] made Him both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:22, 24, 36).

Peter’s faith passed through a long purification, for his image of the Messiah did not include the mystery of Jesus’ suffering (“God forbid, Lord; this shall never happen to you” [Matthew 16:22]), nor humble service (“You shall never wash my feet!” [John 13:8]), nor even the renunciation of combat (“Put your sword back into its sheath” [John 18:11]). Yet all of this was little compared to his bold declaration of willingness to lay down his life for the Master (“I will lay down my life for you!” [John 13:37]), which he shamefully denied in the courtyard of Caiaphas (“… and immediately a cock crowed” [John 18:27]). Benedict XVI commented that Peter had to learn the humility of discipleship, the path of following, and the humility of service.

Jesus’ trust in Peter, by contrast, was established from having looked deeply inside him - into his innermost being - despite his human hesitations, his contradictions, saw also his radiant generosity.

Knowing his heart, Jesus changed his name to Peter, Cephas.

It is upon this sincerity of heart that Christ’s trust in Peter and in his successors is founded: “Simon, Simon, behold: Satan has demanded to sift you all like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). Jesus’ trust in Peter remains bound to a promise. To him, Jesus assures: “The powers of hell shall not prevail” (Matthew 16:18). It must be reaffirmed here that Christ’s trust relates not only to Peter’s person, but also to the Church—a Church not merely an institution for its own sake, but one sent into a world in need of light: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), and capable of shining forth. We speak of a service that is both divine and human, in which Jesus Himself acts, and despite our weaknesses and fragility, through us too.

To Peter, then, the Lord entrusted the care of His Church on its earthly pilgrimage. Simon Peter is, at once, son, guardian, and guide of that Church. This is evident from the very beginning, when he oversees the replacement of Judas in the apostolic college. He is seen again preaching on the day of Pentecost to the astonished crowd, welcoming the first conversions, defending the early Christian community before the Sanhedrin, pronouncing judgment on Ananias and Sapphira for simony, enduring imprisonment, undertaking apostolic journeys and performing wondrous signs. Most notably, he admits the Roman centurion Cornelius to Baptism without requiring circumcision, having come to understand that “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34).

Christ’s saving dimension, which the Apostles bring to the world, now belongs to the whole Church, gathered around Peter and his successors, as “pillars” (Galatians 2:9) of a hope that is not only earthly and personal, but eschatological and universal, which is a sign and mystery of faith among the nations. Peter is called to preside over the communio on a global level; a communio in which the sacramentality and holiness of the Church are safeguarded, and in which, above all, the dimension of charity, in its fullest sense, is central from the very beginning.

The Church, in which Christ lives, needs Peter and his successors, who, through their confession of faith, exercise the primacy of love, which is so essential for unity among the diverse Christian communities. At the same time, they preside over episcopal collegiality and defend the freedom of the Gospel, which is a freedom that opens the way to encounter with the most diverse cultures, religions, and political visions, in a spirit of fraternity and truth in Christ. We, too, as Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, are bound to this vision, according to the will of Blessed Pius IX and his Successors.

Peter, the one who confessed to being a ‘sinner’, acknowledging his unworthiness before Jesus, became the steadfast guide for the People of God. If there was room for Peter, who first betrayed out of fear and then, repentant, was confirmed as leader of the Church, then we can believe there is room for us, today, as pilgrims in this Basilica of Peter. The willingness to convert, that is, to set out once more in the footsteps of Jesus, opens every heart, just as it did for Simon Peter, to follow those footprints with resolve.

Ubi Petrus, ibi Ecclesia (“Where Peter is, there is the Church”), declared Saint Ambrose, and we, Knights and Dames of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, gathered today at the tomb of Peter, rejoice in being united with him and with his Successors, sharing with the Pope his care for the Holy Land.

Amen.

Note: The homily delivered in the Basilica of Saint Peter draws upon the meditation (Peter of Galilee and the Twofold Faith) by the Cardinal Grand Master, featured in “My Days Are in Your Hands”, published by Edizioni San Paolo, 2025.