The Papacy is probably the largest thing about the Catholic Church that most upsets the Protestants. However, it is also one of the primary strengths of the Church and its followers. The office of the Pope was first established on the coasts of Caesarea Philippi. Jesus had asked his disciples about the rumors concerning His identity. Then, according to St Matthew 16, "He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven."
By this, St Peter was made leader of the Apostles after the death of Jesus and founder of the Christian Church. He was established as Bishop of Rome by the early Christians and since then, every successive Bishop of Rome has inherited his position as Pope. It is important to note that every other institution, government and nation that existed at the time of the founding of the Papacy has since fallen, but ever since the time of Christ mentioned above, there has always been a Pope on the throne of St Peter - "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" - we can see that Jesus keeps His word. From the Scripture we can also see that Peter was singled out by Jesus and that it was not the things he had seen or his own rationale that caused him to confess that Jesus was the Christ, but that Peter had been pre-ordained by Heaven to become leader of the Christians.
I know many people who disagree with these verses, and the authority vested in the Pope, but I have never been given a satisfactory answer as to what is meant by this passage if it is not as it seems. Peter was given the keys to Heaven and the authority to bind and loose seems plain enough to me. However, it also fits in with the nature of all Godly authority seen throughout the Bible. There is also the logic of history to consider. There is little dispute to the fact that once discipline and unity is gone, it cannot be easily regained. Once the various sects began to break away from the Catholic Church and deny the authority of the Pope, things became progressively worse. Today there are hundreds of Protestant denominations that all claim to be correct and each one heaps scorn on all the rest. They have no unity and no uniformity of belief. How many possible converts has this turned away? I can remember thinking myself, 'how could Christianity be the true religion when they can't even agree on one book?'
The Pope has the ability to unite one billion people in the world today, and is able to carry out long-term and far-reaching goals for the advancement of Christianity. There are also some Protestants who, while denying the Pope's authority, at least respect him for the good he accomplishes for people around the world; this is the most I can ask of non-Catholics. However, there is also some who insist that the Pope is somehow an agent of the Devil, or even the anti-Christ himself. Such ravings are totally absurd and can be easily put aside by one simple fact: the anti-Christ cannot confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the Catholic Church, with all of her Popes has always held this as the cornerstone of Christianity. I would hope that all Christians, regardless of denomination could at least respect each other and not give aid to the devil by tearing their fellow Christians down. For the faithful, or any who are willing, say a prayer for the Holy Father and ask that God may guide him in his leadership of the Church. |
