Day 123: The Pope

When Christ instituted the Twelve, "he constituted [them] in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen from among them." Just as "by the Lord's institution, St. Peter and the rest of the apostles constitute a single apostolic college, so in like fashion the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, and the bishops, the successors of the apostles, are related with and united to one another." CCC 880

The Catechism today speaks of perhaps one of the most unifying traits of the Church for Catholics, and sadly the most divisive for non-Catholics: the Pope. The Catechism Compendium summarizes today's reading in part:

The Pope, Bishop of Rome and the Successor of Saint Peter, is the perpetual, visible source and foundation of the unity of the Church. He is the vicar of Christ, the head of the College of bishops and pastor of the universal Church over which he has by divine institution full, supreme, immediate, and universal power. (#182)

For Catholics, this belief provides a chief steward in the Church enabling stable governance to carry out Christ's mission in the face of heresies and division. To be sure, the Church has been plagued by both throughout its history, but the Pope has given her a steadying force to weather the storm. The Catechism Companion, Vol II does a good job outlining the Catholic understanding of what Christ instituted:

In Scripture, whenever someone's name is changed, they are given a new mission. A name is deeply connected to identity, and so it is connected to mission. Jesus changes Simon's name to "rock." "And on this rock, I will build my Church" (Matthew 16:18). In Aramaic, the word "rock" is kepha, and in Greek, it is petra (John 1:42). In the Old Testament, the al habayit served the king by ruling the house. This was essentially the role of a prime minister. Jesus specifically names Peter to be the one who is the al habayit, the keeper of the keys, the leader. (p. 10)

There are many books and videos out there that delve deeper into the teaching, some of which I've read or watched. Perhaps one of my favorites, which helped bring me into the Church back in the late 1990s, was The Shepherd and the Rock: Origins, Development, and Mission of the Papacy by Archbishop J. Michael Miller.

Given when I was born and grew up, when I think of the pope I cannot help but fondly remember St. John Paul II. May he and the other saintly pontiffs pray for us all!

"Christ handing the Keys of Heaven to the Apostle Peter" as written in Matthew 16:18, by Pietro Perugino (1481–82)