What is the role of St Paul in the Catholic church?

Paul_theApostle · Mar 5, 2012

St Peter seems to have a special role in the Catholic church with the Papacy etc

seeing that St Paul is closely connected with St Peter and the city of Rome,what is/was his role in the Catholic church?

1ke · Mar 5, 2012

Well, he is a Saint, an Apostle, and the author of most of the New Testament. He is honored and venerated through feast days, churches in his honor, etc.

I’m not sure what you are asking other than that.

iohanne · Mar 5, 2012

Originally, both St. Peter and St. Paul were jointly venerated with relatively equal emphasis as the patrons of the Eternal City both having been martyred there and both having been instrumental in the founding of the Church that sojourns there. Their feast day is joint: The Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul. Later as the office of the Papacy developed and was more clearly elucidated, veneration to St. Peter grew in importance and feasts surrounding the Chair of Peter and the Chains of Peter were instituted.

Paul_theApostle · Mar 5, 2012

1ke said:
Well, he is a Saint, an Apostle, and the author of most of the New Testament. He is honored and venerated through feast days, churches in his honor, etc.

I’m not sure what you are asking other than that.

The Pope carries on the mission of St Peter to feed,tend the flock and strengthen his brothers and carries on his leadership role in the church
This seems to be official Catholic teaching and belief

But i dont hear much about St Paul
Does anybody carry on the mission of St Paul in the Roman church?

what place does Paul have in the Roman church

Paul_theApostle · Mar 5, 2012

iohanne said:
Originally, both St. Peter and St. Paul were jointly venerated with relatively equal emphasis as the patrons of the Eternal City both having been martyred there and both having been instrumental in the founding of the Church that sojourns there. Their feast day is joint: The Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul. Later as the office of the Papacy developed and was more clearly elucidated, veneration to St. Peter grew in importance and feasts surrounding the Chair of Peter and the Chains of Peter were instituted.

I was told by an Orthodox that St Peters basilica was originally dedicated to both Peter and Paul ,not just St Peter

does anybody know if thats true?

Isla · Mar 5, 2012

Well, Apostle of the gentiles, which is most of us Catholics too. So he is important.

However I think the Protestants like him more cuz this guy likes to talk about “justification by faith alone” lol.

Isla · Mar 5, 2012

Paul_theApostle said:
I was told by an Orthodox that St Peters basilica was originally dedicated to both Peter and Paul ,not just St Peter

does anybody know if thats true?

really? I heard St. Andrew (the one who was crucified on an X-shaped cross) was the most important to the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Marocchino · Mar 5, 2012

To answer your original question, St. Paul was a bishop. His missionary work was primarily to the Gentiles, while St. Peter’s was primarily to the Jews. So, St. Peter was pope and St. Paul was a bishop.

Luvtosew · Mar 5, 2012

I was always impressed by Paul, his conversion on the road, and how he never questioned and started preaching right away. He never personally met, talked to or witnessed any of Jesus’s miracles, God filled him with the HS and well he wrote most of the NT.

I was always amazed at the first 12 how they still questioned right to the end,
after witnessing everything and spending so much time with Jesus, and here they went fishing, until Jesus returned and made his appearance.

TheDoctor · Mar 5, 2012

Paul_theApostle said:
St Peter seems to have a special role in the Catholic church with the Papacy etc

seeing that St Paul is closely connected with St Peter and the city of Rome,what is/was his role in the Catholic church?

Paul, like the other Apostles, was called to spread the Good News to the ends of the Earth; Paul’s special calling was to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. He continues to teach and lead us to Jesus through his letters, which provide the major portion of the New Testament.

Like Paul, Peter was an Apostle called by Jesus to spread the Good News, however it was Peter whom Jesus gave the keys to the kingdom and made the first Pope.

gus · Mar 5, 2012

We canonized many of Paul’s letter which are read almost daily in every Catholic Church in the world. I would say his position is extremely esteemed.

Paul_theApostle · Mar 5, 2012

Thanks for your answers

i think im asking how St Pauls mission is carried on still in todays church?

like the Pope seems to carry on the mission and spirit of St Peter

so what about Paul,could we say the Pope and all Catholics carry on his mission by spreading/preaching the Gospel further out into the world?

Is Paul the main icon or role model for the Catholic church in reagrds to spreading/preaching and converting people to the gospel?

Prodigal_Son1 · Mar 6, 2012

Paul_theApostle said:
Thanks for your answers

i think im asking how St Pauls mission is carried on still in todays church?

like the Pope seems to carry on the mission and spirit of St Peter

so what about Paul,could we say the Pope and all Catholics carry on his mission by spreading/preaching the Gospel further out into the world?

Is Paul the main icon or role model for the Catholic church in reagrds to spreading/preaching and converting people to the gospel?

Paul’s mission was no different than all the Apostles, which was to carry out Christ’s mission.

Christ setup an authoritative Church and set the hierarchy in that Church; a hierarchy that was accepted by all the Apostles.

ProVobis · Mar 6, 2012

PBS put out a couple of documentaries which I highly suggest.

One is on Roman Empire in the First Century.

The other is Peter and Paul and the Christian Revolution.

Rich_C · Mar 6, 2012

Paul_theApostle said:
Thanks for your answers

i think im asking how St Pauls mission is carried on still in todays church?

like the Pope seems to carry on the mission and spirit of St Peter

so what about Paul,could we say the Pope and all Catholics carry on his mission by spreading/preaching the Gospel further out into the world?

Is Paul the main icon or role model for the Catholic church in reagrds to spreading/preaching and converting people to the gospel?

We hold St. Paul to be pre-eminent among the bishops, hence his inclusion in the Roman Canon (one of the oldest prayers of the Mass, ~1700 y/o) but we do not have a special successor to each of the Apostles, only St. Peter. The collective mission of all the other Apostles is carried out today by the bishops watching over their flocks throughout the world.

Does that answer your question, Paul?

manualman · Mar 6, 2012

Isla said:
Well, Apostle of the gentiles, which is most of us Catholics too. So he is important.

However I think the Protestants like him more cuz this guy likes to talk about “justification by faith alone” lol.

No he didn’t. The words “faith alone” never appear together in St. Paul’s writings. Protestants argue that their ‘faith alone’ theology derives from St. Paul, but Paul never explicitly says it. They read it out of Paul’s repeated warnings not to trust merely in the observance of the works of Mosaic Law, but that is a far cry from explicitly saying that salvation is by “faith alone.” Be careful not to accept fundamentalist talking points uncritically!

Bookcat · Mar 6, 2012

Here please read all of the following on Paul’s role in the Church…they go in order. Enjoy

Bookcat · Mar 6, 2012

Here please read all of the following on Paul’s role in the Church…they go in order. Enjoy

From Homily for the closing of the Year of St. Paul:

"The commemorative year for the birth of St Paul ends this evening. We have gathered at the tomb of the Apostle whose sarcophagus, preserved beneath the papal altar, was recently the object of a careful scientific analysis. A tiny hole was drilled in the sarcophagus, which in so many centuries had never been opened, in order to insert a special probe which revealed traces of a precious purple-coloured linen fabric, with a design in gold leaf, and a blue fabric with linen threads. Grains of red incense and protein and chalk substances were also found. In addition, minute fragments of bone were sent for carbon-14 testing by experts unaware of their provenance. The fragments proved to belong to someone who had lived between the first and second centuries. This would seem to confirm the unanimous and undisputed tradition which claims that these are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul. All this fills our hearts with profound emotion. In recent months, many people have followed the paths of the Apostle the exterior and especially the interior paths on which he travelled in his lifetime: the road to Damascus towards his encounter with the Risen One; the routes of the Mediterranean world which he crossed with the torch of the Gospel, encountering contradiction and adherence until his martyrdom, through which he belongs for ever to the Church of Rome. It was to her that he also addressed his most important Letter. The Pauline Year is drawing to a close but what will remain a part of Christian existence is the journey with Paul with him and thanks to him getting to know Jesus, and, like the Apostle, being enlightened and transformed by the Gospel. And always, going beyond the circle of believers, he remains the “teacher of the Gentiles”, who seeks to bring the message of the Risen One to them all, because Christ has known and loved each one; he has died and risen for them all. Therefore let us too listen to him at this time when we are solemnly beginning the Feast of the two Apostles who were bound to one another by a close bond. " --Pope Benedict XVI

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20090628_chius-anno-paolino_en.html

And here is St. Pauls outside the walls! Where his tomb is.

vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/index_en.html

Luvtosew · Mar 6, 2012

BookCat,
Thank you for all the links.

Bookcat · Mar 6, 2012

You can take a virtual tour too

vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/vr_tour/index-it.html

What is the role of St Paul in the Catholic church?

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