Bishop Philip writes…
During the Mass of Inauguration of his pontificate on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV received the Ring of the Fisherman, a symbol of the Petrine Ministry. Bearing an image of St. Peter, the ring has New Testament roots. In the Gospel of Matthew (16:19), St. Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, and in the Gospel of Luke 22:32, Jesus tells Peter he must strengthen his brothers in the faith and mission. The Ring of the Fisherman thus authenticates the faith and symbolizes the duty with which the first Pope was entrusted. As St. Peter is known as the fisherman Apostle, the ring is referred to as the Ring of the Fisherman, or the Piscatory Ring, symbolizing the continuous lineage from the first Pope to today. Every ring is unique and personal to each Pope. When the Pope dies, his Ring of the Fisherman, along with the Lead Seal, is marked with a chisel, thereby ensuring the seal cannot be forged.
Meanwhile, welcome to this e-News for Tuesday 20th May 2025. Due to holidays etc. in Bishop’s Office, there will no edition of e-News over the next two weeks. The next edition will be on Tuesday 10th June. Thank you to Deacon Craig for editing this edition and to all of you for submitting the contents. I wish all our readers a blessed couple of weeks ahead.
You can read this week’s issue in full here.
In Corde Iesu
+ Philip
Bishop of Portsmouth
[Image: Vatican News]
