K. Vinod Chandran, J.

And I tell thee this is my turn, that thou art Peter, and it is upon this rock that I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mathew 16:18)

and I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Mathew 16:19)

1. The words "bound" and "loosed" are expressions borrowed from the Jews, which means respectively "prohibited" and "permitted". Thus St. Peter was entrusted with the key to establish the Catholic Church on Earth. The keys are seen as the symbol of papal authority. The Kingdom of heaven, here, means the Church on Earth. St. Peter was entrusted the key to open the doors of faith to the world. It is believed that St. Peter is the "Rock", on which the Church has been built on this Earth. St. Peter is considered to be the head of the Apostolic College and to this day, the supreme legislator of the Catholics, is the Roman Pontiff. The Apostles were empowered with the power to bind and loose (prohibit and permit); in the affairs of the Church, to set Church policy and teachings. Interest