FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF ST PETER

VATICAN CITY, FEB 22, 1999 (VIS) - Today, February 22, is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, a day on which we recall the ministry of the supreme Pastor of the Church which the Lord conferred on Peter, a sign of unity of the Church.

The Chair of St. Peter, ensconced in 1666 in Bernini's altar of the same name, is actually a throne that Charles the Bald gave to Pope John VIII at the former's coronation as emperor on Christmas Day 875.

In its long history, the Chair of St. Peter has been considered under two perspectives: the chair-symbol (symbol of Peter's primacy: in ancient times the chair or "cathedra" was the sign of authority to teach) and the chair-object (the throne of Charles the Bald, used by John VIII and his successors for papal liturgical events).

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