A papal visit like next week’s trip to the U.S. by Benedict XVI is an opportunity not only to check out the current occupant of the Chair of St. Peter, but also to learn more about the 2,000-year history of the papacy and the Catholic Church. To help us do this, author Christopher Bellitto, an assistant professor of history at Kean University and one of the foremost authorities on church lore, and his publisher, Paulist Press, have agreed to let us cite 10 examples–one each for the next 10 days–from his new book, “101 Questions on Popes and the Papacy.” (Click here for more information on the book.)
So let’s start with the basics: No. 1: “Was Peter the first pope?”
Yes, but not in the way modern readers might think. Jesus selected Peter from among his twelve disciples and set him apart in a leadership position that, over the course of time, came to be called “pope,” with the bureaucracy behind him eventually being called “the papacy.” Peter was a “first” of some kind, a person set apart from the others. He is the man tradition says led the Christian community in the city of Rome—the center of the Roman Empire—and was martyred there, probably around the year 64 in a wave of persecutions under the emperor Nero. But Peter did not wear a white cassock, celebrate Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, run the Vatican, write encyclicals, or name cardinals.
Because this is a key question for history and theology, we must spend some time with the scriptural precedents for saying that Peter was the first pope. These passages will be debated, interpreted and reinterpreted, and used as foundations and criticism during much of the church’s life that followed Jesus and Peter. Some will say these passages point to Peter as “the first pope”—if only in a very rudimentary way—and others will say these passages point to Peter as a kind of “first among equals,” just a spokesman, a shared decision maker, or a presider among others.
Matthew 16:18-19 provides the absolutely essential moment. These verses follow a scene where Jesus asks his followers who people say he is. Some say John the Baptist or prophets like Elijah or Jeremiah. Jesus presses his closest disciples to answer the question. Peter responds that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus praises Peter and then says: “And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” So important are these words that a condensed form of these two verses in Latin is inscribed in huge letters in the dome above the high altar in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The other critical passage that sets Peter apart is John 21:15-17. Here, the resurrected Jesus takes Peter aside and asks him three times if Peter loves him —this is after Peter denied knowing Jesus three times on the night during Holy Week now called Holy (or Maundy) Thursday. Three times Peter says yes, and Jesus tells him to feed his sheep and lambs. As this gospel paints the scene, Peter and Jesus are physically standing apart from the others. Jesus gives this special charge to Peter directly and individually.
Similarly, in the scenes in Acts of the Apostles right after Pentecost (see, for instance, chapters 2-4), Peter is playing a leading role and is often the first to speak up, to proclaim Jesus’ resurrection, and to say that miracles are taking place in Jesus’ name and not by human authority. The other disciples are present—preaching, teaching, and performing miracles—but Peter seems to have taken the lead.
posted April 11, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Unlike other NT leaders of the church, namely John (“the voice crying in the wilderness” in Isaiah 40:3), the Old Testament does not indicate explicitly that a Rock (Peter’s name) would build the church. Instead is says “God” is the Rock of our Faith. Therefore, I can see why many would question why Peter’s considered the first Pope considering the OT doesn’t make specific or prophetic mention of his character.
posted April 11, 2008 at 5:03 pm
If you don’t believe the Son of God,who can you trust?
posted April 11, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Here is the letter to the pope from the president of Votf.
April 4, 2008
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Apostolic Palace
Vatican City
Dear Pope Benedict,
We are very pleased that you will be visiting the United States, and we take the opportunity of your visit
to introduce ourselves and our work.
While we remain hopeful about our future, we have great concerns about the current condition of our beloved
Church.
Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) is a worldwide movement of concerned, mainstream Catholics formed in 2002 in
response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Our Mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through
which the faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. Our goals are to
support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change within the Church.
Mindful of the many serious challenges facing our Church today, yet hopeful of a better tomorrow, VOTF’s 35,000
members seek the transformation of our Church. We envision a Church that is open, transparent, and accountable.
We imagine a Church that embraces the gifts and talents of the laity. We dream of a Church governed by
compassion, informed by justice, empowered by equality, and animated to act collegially.
As head of the Universal Church, we invite you to lead this transformation.
Most Catholics know too well the human suffering and financial costs associated with the global clergy sexual abuse
crisis. In the United States alone, more than 4,300 priests were alleged to have abused almost 11,000 young people
between the years 1950 and 2002. Legal settlements by American dioceses amounted to $615 million in 2007, and
now exceed $2.3 billion overall. Catholic dioceses have filed for bankruptcy in Alaska, Arizona, California, Iowa,
Oregon and Washington. Equally troubling is the fact that some of our Bishops contributed to this terrible toll.
Many loyal Catholics are asking how our Church can be a moral beacon when so many Bishops who repeatedly
transferred known abusers remain in office? We believe that without justice for the abused and accountability from
Bishops, this crisis will continue to plague our Church.
Our Church faces many other serious challenges as well. The declining number of clergy jeopardizes the availability
of Eucharist. The laity continue to be excluded from meaningful participation in decision-making. Catholics—
particularly the young—are leaving our Church to join other religions, or no religion at all. The hopeful vision of
Vatican II remains largely unfulfilled, and deep polarization exists in our church about how best to fulfill our sacred
mission.
We are calling on all Catholics to work towards a lasting, transformed Body of Christ that serves all people with
compassion, collegiality and cooperation. We believe in collaboration among all members of our Church in order
to achieve this transformation.
P.O. BOX 423
posted April 12, 2008 at 12:54 pm
When Jesus says, “..and upon this rock I will build my church,” what is meant by the word “church,” and what was the original word used and what other translations should be considered–religion, belief, faith, movement, building, temple? The use of the rock and church metaphors is clever and of course suggests the building of both a physical structure on a rock foundation and a religion. Was Jesus just lucky that he found a leader with the right name, did Peter’s name (in Hebrew or Aramaic or whatever)also mean “rock,” or was this another literary conceit? Where else does Jesus talk about building a “church”?
posted April 13, 2008 at 5:20 pm
God help us if VOTF represents mainline Catholics. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They openly defy the Magisterium and want to remake the church in their image because of the actions of those who defiled their membership by openly flaunting their rejection of Catholic doctrine. The Catholic Church Jesus built and protected from error cannot be blamed for these actions. They are a part of the post VCII chaos. When they say VCII remains unfulfilled,they must be talking about the promised and highly lauded renewal from a council that has allowed profanation of the Eucharist and sacred vessels by unconsecrated hands and has instead bred familiarity that has caused indifference and contempt for the Eucharist and plummeted belief in the Real Presence to a history setting low. Blaming anything or anyone is no longer an issue, but it is difficult to ignore the serious lack of doctrinal knowledge that makes our youth easy prey for the proselytism of non-Catholic religions, for widespread disobedience, downgraded evangelization, and faulty ecumenism in the wake of VCII. I believe Pope Benedict XVI is trying to alleviate the excesses of VCII. I wish him well and offer prayerful support to that end.
posted April 14, 2008 at 8:43 am
Kris Bean – good question about Jesus and “church” — I would love to know the answer. The one thing I can answer is “Was Jesus just lucky that he found a leader with the right name…?” Gibson didn’t mention that Peter’s name was originally “Simon.” Jesus changed it to/added “Peter” (or “Cephas”) in the conversation quoted above.
posted April 15, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Yep, Peter was the first pope. Since the chruch has, since the 1st century, been governed by bishops, a referee’s needed in order to keep the community unified.Peter’s name, in Aramaic Cephas, did mean rock, so that’s not a literary conceit. church comes form the greek ‘ecclesia’, which means, an assembly. Now in the first century, this would be an assembly that believed Jesus was the Messiah, and stood against the worship of Caesar as a god-King.
The signifigance of the name change? In the bible, the change of name means that one is set apart for a great purpose by God.