[tmbchr]™

Vatican Lost Keys to Heaven



This is my favorite piece of news about the Vatican that I’ve ever heard. It occurred about two years ago now, and I thought I’d bring it out of the archives in light of the plight of the current pope.

At Vatican, Saint Peter Loses His Keys
Fri March 14, 2003 07:40 AM ET

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Gospels say Jesus gave the apostle Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, thereby entrusting him with the spiritual guidance of the faithful.

Now the Vatican has lost them.

Vatican authorities were searching on Thursday for the left hand — the one holding the keys — of a 13th-century marble statue of the apostle in St. Peter’s Basilica after the hand and keys mysteriously vanished.

Carved from a separate block of marble attached to the arm by a metal rod, the hand would have been relatively easy to remove. The Vatican was tight-lipped about what might have happened to it, saying only it was missing.

This is the event which inspired me to get my tattoo, which is also the logo in the upper left corner of this site. Check out a larger version of the image here. I immediately latched onto this image, because I decided that I wanted to be the person responsible for this greatest of all symbolic thefts. The idea is that every person in their life must actively “steal” the keys to heaven, salvation, life, whatever. Hopefully John Paul II pocketed some of these keys during his stay at the Vatican. He’s about to need them.







4 Reader Responses

  1. Jacob Says:
    April 2nd, 2005 at 3:52 am

    “stealing the keys” is right, no one would ever give them to you, the entire notion of saving yourself through your own effort is contrary to everything the established authority stands for.

    To steal the keys from that statue, it’s like a symbolic gesture telling the church that “you can no longer regulate salvation, we’ll find out our own way to god.”

  2. Arizona Says:
    April 3rd, 2005 at 2:32 pm

    From the Qur’an, we have:

    005.038
    YUSUFALI: As to the thief, Male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power.

    Of course, this is a tricky association since, in this instance, it is a thief who has (for legitimate reason) cut off the hand of the (allegedly) legitimate or sole proprietor of the keys.

    However, it seems to have lots of potential for unfolding further meanings within meanings.

  3. anton Says:
    April 5th, 2005 at 8:27 pm

    The left hand of the 13 century statue Peter hold the keys to Heaven.
    This means that someone from the East, left side hold the keys.
    The time when they were lost tells that this person is now here.
    Peter the Roman is the rock of the Church. He was the same rock from which the Church was build. His return tells that he hold the keys and he is the real rock, not others called pope, bishop or priest.
    The throne that Christ gave to him is not empty because someone will be sitting in it after the death of John Paul II. Who will sit in this Throne will be put on his head the Crown of Peter and call himself pope.
    But the real pope, Peter the Roman will be left out. So the Punishment will judge the City. Now is New Time and the Rock of the Christ will hit.

  4. Occult Investigator » The Doctrine of Petrine Supremacy Says:
    April 22nd, 2005 at 9:58 pm

    […] bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Any subsequent loss of these keys notwithstanding, these two simple lines h […]



SURROUND YOURSELF WITH STRENGTH.