Saint Peter the Apostle

Saint Peter the Apostle, who before his call bore the name Simon, was a fisherman from Galilee and the first among the twelve apostles. Christ entrusted to him a special care for his Church. Peter suffered martyrdom in Rome under the Emperor Nero. The Church celebrates his solemnity on June 29, together with Saint Paul the Apostle.

He was the son of John and came from Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. The year of his birth is unknown. With his brother Andrew he fished and lived in Capernaum. He was married: the Gospels relate that Jesus healed his mother-in-law. It was Andrew who brought him to Jesus, who gave him the Aramaic name Cephas, that is, Rock, in Greek Petros. By the lake Jesus called both brothers to follow him, and he told Simon that from then on he would be catching men.

In the lists of the apostles Peter always stands in first place. With James and John he witnessed the Transfiguration of the Lord. Near Caesarea Philippi he confessed, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus answered that on this rock he would build his Church and promised him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The Gospels do not hide his weakness: on the night of Jesus’ arrest Peter denied him three times, and then he wept bitterly.

According to Paul’s testimony, the Risen One appeared first to Cephas and then to the Twelve. By the Sea of Tiberias he asked Peter three times whether he loved him and told him to feed his sheep. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Peter preached in Jerusalem and led the first community, and in Caesarea he had the centurion Cornelius, a Gentile, baptized together with his household. At the assembly of the apostles in Jerusalem he played a leading role. The New Testament contains two letters that bear his name.

According to tradition he was the first bishop of Antioch and later came to Rome. His presence and martyrdom in that city belong to the most ancient tradition of the Church. He died during Nero’s persecution of the Christians. Eusebius of Caesarea records, citing Origen, that he was crucified head downward because he himself asked for this; the Roman Martyrology gives this detail as tradition. The year of his death is not known for certain: 64 is given, when the persecution began after the fire of Rome, or 67, the year indicated by tradition.

He was buried on the Vatican Hill, where the basilica bearing his name stands today. Excavations were carried out beneath its main altar at the order of Pius XII; in 1950 the Pope announced that the Apostle’s tomb had been found. In 1968 Paul VI declared that Peter’s relics too had been identified in a way that can be considered convincing.

Peter has been venerated as a saint since antiquity, without a formal canonization. A Roman list of martyrs from the year 336 commemorates him on June 29 together with Paul. The Church sees in the bishops of Rome the successors of Peter, and on February 22 it also celebrates the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter.