Pope Leo XIV: Peter and Paul were not adversaries

(Vatican News) At the Angelus prayer on the Solemnity of Peter and Paul, Pope Leo XIV says the Holy Apostles were very different in character and upbringing, but the Holy Spirit brought them to unity for the good of the Church.

Pope Leo XIV prayed the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on Monday, as the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.

In the sweltering Roman heat, the Pope said the feast day recalls the bond that unites the Church of Rome to all the other Churches throughout the world “in a communion of faith and charity.”

Pope Leo said the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome acts like a seal upon the New Testament, revealing the depth of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

“It is by their word and their martyrdom,” he said, “that the Gospel of Christ has, so to speak, taken root in Rome, revealing right here, in the capital of the empire, its power to renew through a new knowledge of God and of the infinite dignity of every human being, a new understanding of power—not as dominion, but as service to human life.”

Jesus’ call to follow Him still resounds from the capitals to the most remote regions through those who have chosen to answer His call, said the Pope.

By celebrating Peter and Paul, we take up our part in Jesus’ own mission, since God’s grace shines in our lives as we live as imperfect but forgiven sinners.

Pope Leo XIV then reflected on the differences between Peter and Paul as men.

“They differed in background, upbringing and character, not only before but also after they were called, for the one Lord did not make them the same,” he said.

Through their differences, Peter and Paul proclaimed the Gospel with their distinctive voices, which the Gospel highlights as an essential part of the good news.

“Within the College of the Apostles, Peter and Paul were not adversaries,” he said. “On the contrary, in a sense they became the symbol of the many other diversities that the one Spirit unites into a single whole.”

The two patron Saints of Rome, he added, experienced the challenges of communion and still served and proclaimed it as “a sacrament of divine life.”

“Their witness,” said the Pope, “has contributed decisively to ensuring that the Christian presence in history is directed not toward dominion, but toward service, unity and reconciliation.”

Finally, Pope Leo XIV prayed that the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul may help the Church recognize her “catholicity,” which is universal unity in diversity.

May the Church, he concluded, “recognize her value in fostering fraternal encounter among individuals and peoples, to avoid whatever erodes or harms communion, and to persevere on the ecumenical path and in attentive and honest dialogue with all.”

Source: Pope at Angelus: Sts. Peter and Paul embody Church’s unity in diversity