The Keys of Heaven, also called Saint Peter's keys, refers to the metaphorical keys of the office of Saint Peter, the keys of Heaven, or the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. It is explicitly referenced in the Bible in Matthew 16:19.
According to Catholic teaching,[1]Jesus promised the keys to heaven to Saint Peter, empowering him to take binding actions.[2] In the Gospel of Matthew 16:19,[3] Jesus says 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." Saint Peter is often depicted in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox paintings and other artwork as holding a key or a set of keys.
^"The episcopal college and its head, the Pope (para 881)". Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican Archives.
^Mannion, Gerard; Mudge, Lewis S., eds. (30 January 2008). The Routledge Companion to the Christian Church. Routledge. p. 235. ISBN 978-0415374200.
^Matthew 16:19
^Joyce, George (1911). "Power of the Keys". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^Joyce, George (1911). "Chronological Lists of Popes". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^Joyce, George (1911). "The Pope". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
Further reading
Joyce, George Hayward (1910). "Power of the Keys" . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Knecht, Friedrich Justus (1910). "Jesus promises Peter the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." . A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture. B. Herder.
Catholic Answers Magazine: Peter's Authority
Catechism of the Catholic Church (Paragraphs 880–883)