Temple Ministries

The answer is because Christ has entrusted the pope, the bishop of Rome, with the office he first entrusted to St. Peter—to be the pastor of his entire Church.

This man is called “pope” because that word comes the Greek word for “father” (pappas). Just as St. Paul said he became a father to the Christians in the Greek city of Corinth (1 Cor. 4:15), the pope is a spiritual father to all believers. He has been entrusted with the same responsibilities Christ gave to Peter, which include spiritually feeding Christ’s flock of believers (John 21:15-19) and determining doctrine and practice for Christ’s Church (Matt 16:18-19).

Peter the Leader

Peter’s role as “chief apostle” is evident in the fact that he is mentioned more than any other apostle, often speaks for the whole group, and is placed first in almost every list of the apostles (Matt. 10:2). We know these lists were made in order of importance because Judas is always listed last.

The book of Acts also describes Peter’s unparalleled leadership in the early Church, including his authority to make a binding declaration at the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). As the non-Catholic scholar J.N.D. Kelly put it, “Peter was the undisputed leader of the youthful church.”

Jesus also gave Peter his name, which had previously been Simon. This is important, because in the Bible when God changes someone’s name he also changes that person’s destiny. For example, Abram’s destiny was to be the father of the Jewish people, so God changed his name to Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” The name “Peter” means “rock,” which meant Peter’s destiny was to be some kind of rock or foundation. Jesus revealed just what kind of rock he would be after Peter correctly identified Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said:

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 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”
(Matt. 16:17-19)

In the ancient world, cities were surrounded by giant walls and could only be entered through a massive gate. The ruler of the city was given a large key to this gate, which was also a symbol of his authority over the city. When Jesus gave Peter “the keys of the kingdom,” he was alluding to a passage in the Old Testament book of Isaiah that describes how Hezekiah, the king of Israel, gave Eliakim the authority to oversee his entire kingdom.

According to Isaiah 22:22, Eliakim would have “the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”

Jesus told the apostles, “as my Father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint for you” (Luke 22:29). Like any responsible Jewish king, Jesus selected one person, the apostle Peter, to oversee this kingdom as his prime minister, “[Jesus] plays on Simon’s nickname, ‘Peter,’ which is roughly the English ‘Rocky’: Peter is ‘rocky,’ and on this rock Jesus would build his Church.”

Peter’s Successors, the Bishops of Rome

Even if Peter did have infallible authority over the early Church, how do we know this authority was passed on to his successors?

In the first century, Peter’s third successor, Clement, intervened in a dispute in the Church of Corinth. He warned the Corinthians they would be “in no small danger” if they disobeyed him, thus demonstrating his authority over non-Roman Christians. St. Ignatius of Antioch referred to the Roman Church as the one that teaches other churches and “presides in love” over them. In fact, the writings of Pope Clement (A.D. 92-99) and Pope Soter (A.D. 167-174) were so popular that they were read in the Church alongside Sacred Scripture.

Christ will always be the king of his kingdom, but like any good king, he appoints a prime minister to oversee that kingdom. Just as Israel’s chief steward Eliakim was considered “a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah” (Isa. 22:21), the bishop of Rome is a father, or pope, to those who belong to Christ’s Church. He has inherited the keys to the kingdom and is faithfully charged with watching over it until the king returns in glory.