The Holy See Search
back
riga

OFFICE FOR THE LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF 

 

Fisherman’s Ring

 

The ring, already a liturgical-New Testament element, has been among the insignia peculiar to the Bishop since the first millennium. The one given to the new Pope today, called the Fisherman’s Ring and bearing an image of St. Peter with the keys, has the particular meaning of the ring that authenticates the faith and symbolizes the duty entrusted to Peter of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22, 32). It is called the “Fisherman’s” ring, because Peter is the fisherman Apostle (cf. Mt 4, 18-19; Mk 1, 16-17). Having believed in Jesus’ word (Lk 5, 5), he dragged the nets containing the miraculous catch of fish from the boat to the lakeshore (cf. Jn 21, 3-14). “Today too the Church and the successors of the Apostles are told to put out into the deep sea of history and to let down the nets, so as to win men and women over to the Gospel – to God, to Christ, to true life” (Benedict XVI, Homily for Holy Mass for the beginning of the Petrine ministry, 24 April 2005).

 

 

top