“You are ‘Rock,’ and on this rock I will build my
church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it.”
The Catholic Church has always looked up to today’s Gospel as
the cornerstone of the Petrine ministry, the special role played by
the successor of Peter. Catholics believe that the Bishop of Rome
exercises a special authority over the church.
Authority within the context of the People of God is a special kind
of authority. The reading from Isaiah is about removal from office
for abuse of authority and replacement by someone who shall be a
father.
The purpose of authority in the church, authority at any level, is
not to control the lives of others but rather to help us to
seek the values that will bring us lasting joy in this changing
world.
Those with any authority in the church should reflect on their
exercise of that authority, and those under authority should reflect
on their attitude to the leaders of the church. All of us should
join in praying that the Lord grant peace and unity to the Church
For the nurturing and constant growth of the People of God, the Lord instituted in His Church a variety of ministries, which work for the good of the whole body.
For those ministers who are endowed with sacred power are servants of their brethren, so that all who are of the People of God, and therefore enjoy a true Christian dignity, can work toward a common goal freely and in an orderly way, and arrive at salvation.Vatican II, Constitution on the Church, 1964:18.