“The words, ‘Feed my sheep’ show Jesus’ intention to guarantee the future of the Church he founded under the direction of a universal shepherd–Peter–to whom he said that by his grace he will be ‘rock’ and will have ‘the keys to the kingdom of heaven’ with the power of ‘binding and loosing.’ After the resurrection Jesus gave a concrete form to the announcement and the promise made in Caesarea Philippi, establishing Peter’s authority as a pastoral ministry of the Church on a universal scale.”

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Pope St. John Paul II

Catechesis on the Church
General Audience, Wednesday 9 December 1992