According to tradition, The Throne of St. Peter was used by St. Peter himself. 

However, exhaustive testing has shown it is no older than the sixth century and likely the throne presented as a gift from Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Bald to Pope John VIII in 875. 

Pope Benedict XVI described it as: “A symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ’s flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity.” 

We hear so much about Peter in scripture and, most of the time, he’s struggling to grasp what The Lord is asking of him. But, while flawed like the rest of us, there was a reason Jesus chose him to lead The Church from its beginning. 

His leadership qualities would have been on clear display as the leader of a successful fishing business before meeting Jesus, and after Pentecost, those leadership qualities, infused by the The Holy Spirit, showed themselves immediately as he is the first to speak, telling a large crowd in Acts 2: 

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 

Today, in the Gospel of Matthew, we will hear from Jesus directly as He asks Peter:

“But who do you say that I am?” 

Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 

St. Peter, please pray for us.