Episode Details

Episode 17 of the Christ for Us Bible Study Podcast answers the question, "Is the pope the head of the church? You can follow along to the outline at Christforus.org. 

#theology #Catholicism #pope #papalsupremacy #Lutheran

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church the Pope is “The successor of St. Peter as Bishop of Rome and Pontiff of the universal Catholic Church. The pope exercises a primacy of authority as Vicar of Christ and shepherd of the whole Church; he receives the divine assistance promised by Christ to the Church when he defines infallibly a doctrine of faith or morals.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines Papacy: “The supreme jurisdiction and ministry of the pope as shepherd of the Whole Church. As successor of St. Peter, and therefore Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, the pope is the perpetual and visible principle of unity in faith and communion in the Church.”

CCC 881 states, “The Lord made Simon alone, whom he called Peter, the ‘rock’ of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the Whole flock (Mt 16:18-19; Jn 21:15-17). ‘The office of the binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head.’ (Lumen Gentium* 22) This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church’s very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope.”

CCC 882 states, “The Pope Bishop of Rome and Peter’s successor, ‘is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.’ (Lumen Gentium 23) ‘For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.’ (Lumen Gentium 22; cf. Christus Dominus** 2, 9)”

* Lumen Gentium is a document of Vatican II, November 21, 1964, which defines the nature and mission of the Catholic Church.

** Christus Dominus is the Vatican II Council “Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops,” October 28, 1965.

• The Papacy is the supreme office of the Church, the Pope, being that Office holder. He is the Vicar of Christ.
• Jesus appointed Peter as Pope and pastor of the entire Church (Matt. 16:18-19; John 21:15-17)
• The Bishop of Rome is Peter’s successor and visible source of unity of the bishops and of the entire Church.
• The bishops, who are successors of the apostles, and the entire priesthood receive the binding and loosing office from Peter.
• The pope, as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church. This means he has the right and authority to “infallibly” define Church doctrine of faith and morals.

By James A. Corbett from The Papacy: A Brief History

The Primacy of Peter. The first and best source of our knowledge about the origin of the papacy is, of course, the New Testament. From it we learn that the first pope was Peter, a fisherman from Bethsaida on the left bank of the Jordan. Until he met Christ, he was called Simon, son of Jona. It was his brother Andrew who brought Simon to Christ. At this very first meeting Christ gave Simon a new name, one full of meaning for the role he was chosen to play. He renamed him Cepha, the Aramaic word for rock. The Greek word for rock is petros, whence the English Peter. The reason for giving him a new name was only made clear on another occasion before the Crucifixion when Christ said to Peter: “Thou art Peter, and it is upon this rock that I shall build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and I will give to thee the keys