In all, 266 men have served as Bishop of Rome since St. Peter arrived there in the middle of the first century. Of these, Pope Leo XI served for 11 days and Pius IX for 31 years. Most have been Italians with 88 coming from the city of Rome, the most recent being Pius XII. Francis, whose papacy began in 2013, is the first from the Americas having been born to Italian immigrant parents in Argentina. While 83 have been canonized saints, there are many others whose lives are more scandalous or at least open to suspicion. The Church has thrived through periods of triumphant glory and stayed strong during times of darkness, war, persecution and pestilence. While many have looked forward to her demise, and others still anticipate it either with glee or trepidation, the fact remains that the Church must be more than a human institution. No other institution has endured as long.

While giving Peter the “keys to the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus also made a promise that Satan would never prevail against the Church. This promise does not, as we know, secure the Church from sin, or protect her from the vulgarity of sinful men and women lurking in her walls, teaching in her schools and wreaking havoc among the faithful. But it does ensure that the Church will stand secure upon the shoulders of the Apostles.

When we look at the conversation that led Jesus to give Simon the nickname “Peter,” (“the Rock”) it rests upon Simon’s testimony and profession of faith: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” On his own Peter could not have responded that way. This assertion must have been shocking to Simon as he said it, and awkward for the other disciples to listen to as well. In their rejection of the Roman Pantheon and the profession of faith as revealed to Moses and recited in the great Shemah in Deuteronomy, it would have been unfathomable, unreasonable and indeed heretical, to even entertain such a thought. Yet, he does.

How one understands the Church – ecclesiology – provides the backdrop for much of the discussion about the Church today. During different periods throughout history, the Church necessarily undertook different roles in the establishment, development and maintenance of western society and then exported those values and principles around the world. While proclaiming the Gospel and making converts was always at the core of the mission of the Church, there were often other motives as well.

At present the Church suffers from the same malaise that has infected the secular world. We are polarized along ideological lines, suffer the lingering effects of a variety of “isms” and struggle along cross-cultural and cross-national traditions. For some the Church is the big tent, for others it is a small hut. Pope Francis has used the image of a “field hospital” for sinners, but there are those who see the Church as a haven for the saints from a sinful world.

Throughout the history of the Church, the faithful have exercised their discipleship in very different ways. While we do not have the luxury of choosing the time in which we live, we all can choose how to exercise our life of discipleship in that world.

The Church is the Church – standing steadfast amidst the storms of the world and her own internal struggles – because of the mission first attested to by Peter and revealed through the Holy Spirit.

Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.