Primacy of Peter
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On what scriptural basis do Catholics believe in the papacy?
Jesus said to [Simon Peter], "I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Matthew 16: 18-19
- The Didache Bible
The papacy, or the office of Pope, derives directly from the primacy of Saint Peter among the Apostles and the leadership for which Christ designated him when he established his Church.
The authoriy given by Christ to Saint Peter and to his successors, the Popes, is called the Primacy of Peter. While the role of the papacy has evolved through the centuries, it is the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, who has the final authority to resolve and clarify matters of faith and morals, and it is the Pope who helps preserve the unity of the Church.
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In Scripture, evidence for the Primacy of Peter is both implicit and explicit:
- All of the Twelve Apostles are listed four times in the Scriptures, and Saint Peter is named first every time. (cf. Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts of the Apostles 1:13)
- Saint Peter was chosen by the Father to receive the revelation that Jesus is "the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)
- The angel told the women after the Resurrection,"Go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you.'" (Mark 16:7)
- Saint Peter is listed separately as a witness to the Resurrection before the other Apostles. (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:5-6; Luke 24: 34)
- Saint Peter was charged by Christ to "strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22: 32) and "Feed my sheep". (John 21:15-17; cf. 10:11)
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- Saint Peter proposed and presided over the election of St. Matthias as an Apostle and announced the requirements for candidacy. (cf. Acts of the Apostles 1:15-22)
- Saint Peter was the first to preach the Gospel on the day of Pentecost which was accompanied by signs of the Holy Spirit (wind, fire, tongues) and 3,000 conversions. (cf. Acts of the Apostles 2: 14-40)
- Saint Peter defended the Apostles before the Sanhedrin (cf. Acts of the Apostles 3:6-7; 5:15; 9:36-41).
- Saint Peter exercised his authority to discipline Ananias, Sapphira, and Simon the magician (cf. Acts of the Apostles 5:1-11; 8:18-24).
- Saint Peter received a vision of the Lord in order to inspire the Jewish Christians to allow Gentiles into the Church (cf. Acts of the Apostles 10:9-48; 11:1-18).
- The Didache Bible
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Saint Peter and the Popes
If Saint Peter was the first Pope, who succeeded him?
Scripture says nothing about it. Historical sources and the tradition of the Church provide the names of all the successors of Saint Peter even to the present day.
The immediate successor of Saint Peter was Saint Linus, who may be the same person from whom Saint Paul sent greetings (cf. 2 Tm 4:21). "The Roman Pontiff, as the successor of Peter, is the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful" (Lumen Gentium 23).
Peter spent the last years of his life in Rome, where he helped to establish the Christian community and served as its bishop, and where he was martyred about AD 67.
While Scripture does not mention a successor to Saint Peter, we know of the men who succeeded him as Bishop of Rome through history and tradition.
The present Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, is the 265th successor of Saint Peter, and he traces his authority directly back to Saint Peter. "In virture of his office, that is as Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church, the Roman Pontiff has full, supreme and universal power over the Church.
And he is always free to exercise this power" (Lumen Gentium 22).
-The Didache Bible
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