Saint Peter

Who they were

Simon, whom Jesus named Peter, came from Bethsaida and was a fisherman at Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. Called with his brother Andrew, he was with James and John at the raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration and the agony in the garden. At Caesarea Philippi he declared, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God', and Jesus answered that on this rock He would build His Church and gave him the keys of the kingdom.

Impulsive and sometimes slow to understand, he denied knowing Jesus three times after the arrest; after the Resurrection the risen Lord asked him to feed His sheep. He led the first Christians, preached and healed, was repeatedly arrested, and finally came to Rome, where he guided the community. In Nero's persecution he was crucified head downwards at his own request, by tradition on 29 June 67, and was buried on the Vatican hill, where St Peter's Basilica now stands over his tomb.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: Peter has been honoured as Prince of the Apostles and martyr from the beginning. He was the first Bishop of Rome.

Why that counted as sanctity

Christ chose an unlettered fisherman, quick to speak and capable of denying Him, to be the rock of His Church. Peter's holiness is that of a man who fell and was forgiven, who loved Christ ('Lord, you know that I love you') and who, having once run from the cross, went to his own crucifixion in Rome for Him.

Connected on this site

• Andrew the Apostle Saint Brother or sister
• Evodius Saint Pupil
• Perpetua Saint Spouse
• Saint Petronilla Saint Child
• Clement of Alexandria Saint
  “Although the New Testament does not explicitly identify Peter as the first bishop of Rome or detail his journey there, early Church Fathers and historians, including Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hegesippus, Clement of Alexandria, Lactantius, and Eusebius attest that Peter spent his closing years in Rome, and along with…” — Wikipedia