Catechism of the Catholic Church
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553 Jesus entrusted a specific authority to Peter: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 287 The "power of the keys" designates authority to govern the house of God, which is the Church. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, confirmed this mandate after his Resurrection: "Feed my sheep." 288 The power to "bind and loose" connotes the authority to absolve sins, to pronounce doctrinal judgements, and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church. Jesus entrusted this authority to the Church through the ministry of the apostles 289 and in particular through the ministry of Peter, the only one to whom he specifically entrusted the keys of the kingdom.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF FAITH |
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SECTION TWO: THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH |
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CHAPTER TWO: I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF GOD |
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ARTICLE 3: "HE WAS CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND WAS BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY" |
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Paragraph 3. The Mysteries of Christ's Life |
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III. THE MYSTERIES OF JESUS' PUBLIC LIFE |
Notes for the above paragraph:
287 Mt 16:19.288 Jn 21:15-17; Cf. 10:11.
289 Cf. Mt 18:18.
English Translation of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.