St. Peter One of Catholisms Favorite Saints

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St. Peter (died around A.D. 64) Biblical scholars believe that he was married, because the Gospel speaks of the cure of his mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14;Luke 4:38). But whether he was a widower at the time he met Jesus, no one really is certain about that. Scholars believe it's likely that his wife was no longer alive, because after the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ, Peter, as head of the Church, had a busy schedule and itinerary. He also never mentioned his wife in his epistle. All these facts lead many scholars to believe that the first pope was a widower. The faithful believe it was his confession of faith that made Peter stand out in the crowd, even among the twelve apostles. Matthew 16 tells the story: Jesus posed the question, "Who do people say that I am?" The other eleven merely reiterated what they'd heard others say: "John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the Prophets." But when asked directly, "But who do you say that I am?" only Peter responded, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." His answer received the full approval of Jesus and he was made the chief shepherd of the Church and head of the Apostles. Matthew 16:17-19 says: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." A significant aspect of this passage is that Jesus said he would build His Church, so Catholics believe that the Church doesn't belong to Peter or the pope but to Christ. That's why one of the pope's titles is the Vicar of Christ. Note, too, the punchline at the very end: "Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." That's a pretty extensive piece of authority: whatsoever. And the second person singular, you, was used in Greek, not the plural, so Catholics believe the full, supreme, immediate and universal authority was only given to Peter and not to the other apostles. That's why the successor of Peter, the pope, has more authority in the Church than the successors to the apostles, the bishops. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside down, because he felt unworthy to die exactly as Jesus did on Good Friday. That same tradition has it that Peter was fleeing the initial persecutions in Rome when he saw an apparition of Jesus on the road going toward Rome. This was after the Resurrection and Ascension, mind you. Peter asked, "Quo vadis Domine?" which is Latin for "Where are you going Lord?" When Jesus replied that he was going to Rome to be crucified again, Peter realized it was a sign that he should turn around and go back to Rome to take care of the young Church, even if it meant he'd suffer martyrdom, and he did.