It is Jesus who sets Saint Peter apart as the first pope of the church. He stands in line with many throughout history and he becomes known as being the first among the disciples. As was articulated by Saint Clement of Alexandria in the year 200: “The blessed Peter, the chosen, the preeminent, the first among the disciples, for whom alone with himself the Savior pair the tribute, quickly grasped and understood their meaning. And what does he say? Behold, we have left all and have followed you.”
Unless one is real young we should know the great anticipation that is held whenever a papal conclave is taking place. During this time we are glued to our screens in hope of finally seeing white smoke come from that little chimney that can be seen from Saint Peter’s Square. As the papal electors process into the Sistine Chapel the chant of the “Veni Sancte Spiritus” “Come, Holy Spirit” fills the air. Truly the Holy Spirit is invoked in order that the Holy Spirit may come into their midst and guide their deliberations.
As was instructed in our Gospel: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This brings me to the concept of papal infallibility which is something that is misunderstood by many Fundamentalists as well as some Catholics. The pope cannot walk out onto a balcony and state that the sky is now orange instead of blue. The pope does not reinvent and change doctrine as he sees fit. Rather, the pope defines something to be infallible by the fact that it is something that was held to be true by Christ and His apostles. Thus when the Immaculate Conception came under attack it came to be infallibly defined because this was already something that Christianity had held to from the beginning.
As was stated by Vatican II in Lumen Gentium: “Although the individual bishops do not enjoy the prerogative of infallibility, they can nevertheless proclaim Christ’s doctrine infallibly. This is so, even when they are dispersed around the world, provided that while maintaining the bond of unity among themselves and with Peter’s successor, and while teaching authentically on a matter of faith or morals, they concur in a single viewpoint as the one which must be held conclusively. This authority is even more clearly verified when, gathered together in an ecumenical council, they are teacher and judges of faith and morals for the universal Church. Their definitions must then be adhered to with the submission of faith.”
One issue that I see with modern day American Catholicism is our desire to lower the pope and hierarchy of the church to a place where they are forced to meet popular opinion if they are to be found worthy of paying attention to. Turn on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, or some other source of news to find out the constant banter of the president’s approval rating. The Church does not concern itself with winning a popularity contest, but instead protecting the truth of faith and morals. Along the way there might be bad popes, bishops, or priests as there have been throughout history. Nevertheless, we must show respect and obedience to the Holy Father and our bishops who speak with the authority of the apostles.
As is heard in the Gospel of Saint Luke: “He who hears you hears me.” Let us respect the office of pope and bishop and continue to pray for those to whose care we have been entrusted for to hear them is to hear the voice of the Lord.
