Understanding our Faith

The Pope in Rome – Why Rome?

There are cumulative reasons why the Papacy is situated in Rome.  St Luke in the Acts of the Apostles almost foreshadows the centrality of Rome for Christianity.  There is a quite explicit movement in the Acts of the Apostles from Jerusalem to Rome.  From Jerusalem, the centre of Judaism and the city of Jesus’ death and the place of the beginnings of Christianity to Rome, the centre of the known world of that time.  It was the place where the emperor was stationed; it was the place to which “all roads led”.  So, the Acts of the Apostles begins in Jerusalem and it concludes with St Paul’s arrival in Rome.

This is not just about geography of course; it was about the very nature of the Christian faith.  In those early decades there was a great debate going on about whether Christianity was a part of Judaism or whether it was distinct from it and different.  This debate – often heated – is reflected in the Acts of the Apostles and in St Paul’s Letters.  This ultimately came down to the question of whether Jesus was for all human beings or was it that those following him had first to become part of Judaism.  St Luke’s geographical journey reflects this deeper Christian journey which began in Judaism but which moved out to all humankind.

Apart from this foreshadowing of St Luke, the ancient tradition that both St Peter and St Paul were buried in Rome gave Rome an aura and a status which set it apart from other cities and churches established in those other cities.  It became a place of pilgrimage and its bishop was seen to have a role in keeping in unity the churches established all over the known world of the time.  The role of the bishop of Rome developed and the pope was spoken about eventually as the successor of St Peter.  The Pope’s role was much more important in the Western part of the Church than the Eastern.  The knowledge of the Popes has expanded over recent centuries as the development of communications has made them more visible and what they did and said much more accessible.

By Fr Frank O’Loughlin