I don\u2019t know whether you noticed like I have that, during the Mass at the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry, and also on various other occasions, Pope Leo XIV often finds himself gazing at the ring that was placed on his finger by Cardinal Tagle, representing the cardinal bishops. It\u2019s as if, on one hand, he feels the weight of the responsibility entrusted to him by the College of Cardinals, and, on the other hand, his deep gaze seems to reach far beyond. Then he gives a slight turn of his shoulders, as if he\u2019s finding his place beneath the yoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since the 6th century, it seems it was already customary for bishops to be given a ring that expresses their bond with the local church entrusted to them \u2014 as though she were their bride. Over the centuries, this ring also developed to become the seal with which a bishop would authenticate official documents. The same applied to the pope\u2019s ring until 1842.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the ring with which the pope is invested is not an imperial ring. It is called the Ring of the Fisherman because, before any temporal or civil authority he may hold, the pope is the successor of the Apostle Peter, the Fisherman. And I dare say that this ring somehow gathers up the entire mystery behind Pope Leo XIV\u2019s gaze … and, ultimately, the mystery of every vocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, before the ring is placed on his finger, the Cardinal Bishop says these words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most Holy Father, may Christ, the Son of the living God, the pastor and overseer of our souls, who built his Church upon rock, grant you the Ring, the seal of Peter the Fisherman, who put his hope in him on the sea of Galilee, and to whom the Lord Jesus entrusted the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.<\/p>
Today you succeed the Blessed Apostle Peter as Bishop of this Church, which presides over the unity of charity, as the blessed Apostle Paul has taught; may the Spirit of charity, poured into our hearts, grant strength and gentleness to your ministry to preserve all those who believe in Christ in the communion of unity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
And, truly, in that moment, the Shepherd-Fisherman successor of Peter, like that Apostle who responded to his first calling in his youth, is now girded with the garment of a shepherd. And, for the confession of his love, the Lord gently commands him to follow him, because only by following him can he truly be faithful in leading the people to Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"