Peter and the Bishops
Why is there a Pope?
Main teaching: De fide
The big question
The Catholic Church is the only Christian body with a single worldwide leader whose authority reaches every member. Where did the papacy come from? Did Jesus intend it, or did it grow out of the importance of the city of Rome?
What the Church teaches
Christ made the apostle Peter the visible head of the whole Church, with a primacy of jurisdiction, not only of honour (Vatican I, Pastor Aeternus ch. 1; DH 3053–3055; CCC 881).
The Bishop of Rome succeeds Peter in this primacy, and has full, supreme and universal power over the whole Church (Pastor Aeternus chs. 2–3; DH 3056–3064; CCC 882).
The bishops succeed the apostles by divine institution. Together with the Pope, and never without him, they form a college with supreme authority over the Church (Trent, Session XXIII, ch. 4 and canon 6, DH 1768, 1776; Lumen Gentium 20–22; CCC 861–862, 880–887).
How sure is this? De fide. Infallibility, the teaching side of this authority, was covered in Lesson 1.3.
Where it comes from
Scripture. Peter is always named first among the apostles: “first, Simon, who is called Peter” (Matthew 10:2). At Caesarea Philippi, after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus says to him: “you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades 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” (Matthew 16:18–19).
At the Last Supper Jesus prays for Peter in particular, that his faith may not fail, and tells him to “strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32). After the Resurrection he three times gives Peter charge of his flock: “Feed my lambs… Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep” (John 21:15–17). In Acts, Peter leads the community, proposes the choice of a successor to Judas (Acts 1:15–26), and speaks decisively at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:7–11).
The early Church. Around the year 96, the Church of Rome, through its bishop St Clement, wrote to settle a dispute in the Church of Corinth. Clement explained that the apostles appointed successors and provided that others should succeed them in turn (1 Clement 42–44). St Irenaeus (about 180) listed the bishops of Rome from Peter to his own day and said every church must agree with this church because of its preeminent authority (Against Heresies 3.3.2).
How theologians explain it
The rock and the keys. In Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, Peter’s name and “rock” are the same word, Kepha. The keys recall Isaiah 22:22, where God gives the chief steward of the king’s household “the key of the house of David”, with power to open and shut. The steward governed in the king’s name, and the office continued when one steward was replaced by another. Jesus gives Peter that kind of office in his kingdom.
Office and succession. Christ’s promise that the gates of Hades would not prevail was made to a Church that would last until the end of time, long after Peter died. So the office Christ gave Peter must continue. The Church holds that it continues in the bishops of Rome, where Peter died as a martyr.
What the primacy is. The Pope’s authority is called ordinary (belonging to his office), immediate (reaching every member directly), and universal (over the whole Church) (Pastor Aeternus ch. 3; CCC 882, 937). But it exists to serve unity: one of the Pope’s titles is “Servant of the servants of God”.
Bishops are not branch managers. Each bishop governs his diocese with real authority of his own, not as a delegate of the Pope; Vatican II calls bishops “vicars of Christ” in their own dioceses (Lumen Gentium 27). Together, under the Pope, they form a college, like the apostles under Peter.
| The Pope | The bishops | |
|---|---|---|
| Succeeds | Peter | The apostles |
| Authority over | The whole Church | Their own diocese (and, as a college, the whole Church) |
| Relation to the other | Head of the college | Members of the college, in communion with its head |
An ecumenical question. The Orthodox churches accept a primacy of the bishop of Rome, but of honour rather than jurisdiction. St John Paul II invited other Christians to help find a way of exercising the primacy that could be recognised by all (Ut Unum Sint, 1995, 95).
Philosophy bridge
The philosophy course distinguishes an office, a role with defined authority, from the person who holds it. The papacy is an office: it passes from one holder to the next, and its authority does not depend on the holder’s personal qualities. That is what succession means.
What the Church does not claim
- Not that every Pope is holy. Some popes have been gravely sinful. The office does not depend on personal holiness.
- Not that the Pope can change the faith. He is bound by Scripture, Tradition and earlier definitions (Lesson 1.3).
- Not that the Pope is an absolute monarch. His authority serves the unity of faith and communion, and the bishops have real authority of their own.
- Not that only Rome matters. The universal Church exists in and through the local churches (Lumen Gentium 23).
Check your understanding
- What did Vatican I teach about Peter and his successors?
Show answer
That Christ gave Peter a primacy of jurisdiction over the whole Church, and that the Bishop of Rome succeeds Peter in this primacy, with full, supreme and universal power over the Church.
- Give three passages of Scripture that show Peter’s special role.
Show answer
Any three of: Matthew 16:18–19 (the rock and the keys); Luke 22:32 (“strengthen your brethren”); John 21:15–17 (“Feed my sheep”); Matthew 10:2 (Peter named first); Acts 1 and 15 (Peter leading the community).
- How does Isaiah 22:22 help explain “the keys of the kingdom”?
Show answer
In Isaiah, the chief steward of the king’s household is given the key of the house of David, with authority to govern in the king’s name, and the office passes to successors. Jesus gives Peter that kind of office in his kingdom.
- What early evidence is there that the Church of Rome had special authority?
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Around 96, the Church of Rome, through St Clement, intervened to settle a dispute in Corinth. Around 180, St Irenaeus listed the bishops of Rome from Peter and said every church must agree with Rome because of its preeminent authority.
- Are bishops simply the Pope’s representatives in their dioceses? Explain.
Show answer
No. Bishops succeed the apostles and govern their dioceses with authority of their own; Vatican II calls them vicars of Christ. Together with the Pope as head, they form a college.