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By Jem Sullivan
 The Catholic Standard

Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming apostolic journey to the United States will soon make headlines, locally, nationally and internationally. How will we, the Catholic faithful, welcome and celebrate the presence of the successor of St. Peter among us? Why do we look forward to the pope’s April 15-20 visit to Washington and New York as so much more than a media event? How might this papal visit become an occasion of grace for each one of us personally and for the Church in America - a moment of intense faith, greater charity and renewed hope?

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By Father Gerald O’Collins,S.J.
 The Catholic Standard

Pope Benedict XVI will visit Washington and New York shortly after Easter. The timing of this papal visit raises the question: Is the ministry of the pope affected or even shaped in a particular way by the resurrection of the crucified Jesus? Is preaching the risen Lord at the heart of what St Peter and his successors do for the Church?

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By Father John Dillon
 The Catholic Standard

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32). Our Lord Jesus addressed these words to St. Peter as the time of His death drew near. Once when preaching on this text, St. Augustine interpreted the phrase “the brethren” in a broad way to include the Church itself. Augustine remarked that Peter certainly has strengthened us by his apostolate, martyrdom, and letters (Sermon 210.6). Examining Peter through the ages, we can see various ways in which the popes as the successors of St. Peter have indeed strengthened us.

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By Father Francis Martin
 The Catholic Standard

The work that is traditionally called “The Acts of the Apostles,” could really be called “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.” In this, his second volume, St. Luke continues to recount “all that Jesus did and taught,” but now he is recounting how Our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished his work through his Holy Spirit directing the Apostles and the early Church. How often do we read phrases such as “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and ourselves” (Acts 15:28); “they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia… they tried to go into the Bithynia but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (Acts 16:6-7).

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By Msgr. Charles V. Antonicelli
 The Catholic Standard

From the very beginning, when Jesus chose St. Peter and declared him to be the “rock” upon which he would build his Church, the pope has had a unique role in teaching, sanctifying and governing the Christian faithful. This has taken many different forms over the centuries and has developed into the practice we have today. The pope is the visible head of the Church and the source of unity among all the Christian faithful. He is the one we look to for sound teaching, proper liturgical celebration, and governance, especially through the appointment of bishops throughout the world.

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By Father Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap.
 The Catholic Standard

Every Sunday at Mass, Catholics throughout the world profess their common faith by praying together the ancient Nicene Creed. In that creed, we profess our faith in “One, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” The ministry of the pope, founded upon the ministry of St. Peter himself, is an essential and central component for preserving and promoting the Church’s unity, its holiness, its universality and its apostolic teaching.

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By Msgr. Kevin Hart
 The Catholic Standard

It was God’s plan from all eternity that at this moment in history a man named Joseph Alois Ratzinger would one day be pope, the 264th successor of St. Peter. As vicar of Christ, he would continue on a universal level the three-fold ministry of Jesus as priest, prophet and king. Who were the people and what were the circumstances God placed in Joseph Ratzinger’s life that led him, through many trials and hardships, from a little town in Germany to the throne of Peter? How did these people and circumstances prepare Joseph Ratzinger to assume the office and responsibility to teach, to rule and to sanctify the universal Church?

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By Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi
 The Catholic Standard

Like the discovery of details in a Sherlock Holmes mystery, the purpose of this series of eight articles on St. Peter is to put together the pieces of his life and discover precisely who he was. More importantly, it is to discover the nature of the unique mission given him by Jesus Christ, a mission we believe continues today in the ministry of the Holy Father, who will soon be visiting us in the United States. In this way, we will have a fuller picture of the mission and ministry of the pope in our day for we believe that the pope and the bishops are successors of Peter and the apostles, and when they speak on matters of faith and morals, they exercise the authoritative voice of Jesus Christ Himself. (United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, 336-7)

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