ordinary exercise of Apostolic
freedom, and leaves on our mind the obvious inference that Peter was his
superior.

In the very same Epistle to the Galatians St. Paul plainly insinuates St.
Peter's superior rank. "I went," he says, "to Jerusalem to see Peter, and
I tarried with him fifteen days."(167) Saints Chrysostom and Ambrose tell
us that this was not an idle visit of ceremony, but that the object of St.
Paul in making the journey was to testify his respect and honor for the
chief of the Apostles. St. Jerome observes in a humorous vein that "Paul
went not to behold Peter's eyes, his cheeks or his countenance, whether he
was thin or stout, with nose straight or twisted, covered with hair or
bald, not to observe the outward man, _but to show honor to the first
Apostle_."

There are others who pretend, in spite of our Lord's declaration to the
contrary, that loyalty to Peter is disloyalty to Christ, and that, by
acknowledging Peter as the rock on which the Church is built, we set our
Savior aside. So far from this being the case, we acknowledge Jesus Christ
as the "chief cornerstone," as well as the Divine Architect of the
building.

The true test of loyalty to Jesus is not only to worship Him, but to
venerate even the representatives whom He has chosen. Will anyone pretend
to say that my obedience to the Governor's appointee is a mark of
disrespect to the Governor himself? I think our State Executive would have
little faith in the allegiance of any citizen who would say to him:
"Governor, I honor you personally, but your official's order I shall
disregard."

St. Peter is called the first Bishop of Rome because he transferred his
see from Antioch to Rome, where he suffered martyrdom with St. Paul.

We are not surprised that modern skepticism, which rejects the Divinity of
Christ and denies even the existence of God, should call in question the
fact that St. Peter lived and died in Rome.

The reason commonly alleged for disputing this well-attested event is that
the Acts of the Apostles make no mention of Peter's labors and martyrdom
in Rome. For the same reason we might deny that St. Paul was beheaded in
Rome; that St. John died in Ephesus, and that St. Andrew was crucified.
The Scripture is silent regarding these historical records, and yet they
are denied by no one.

The intrinsic evidence of St. Peter's first Epistle, the testimony of his
immediate successors in the ministry, as well as the avowal of eminent