Tu es Petrus: The Papacy as Instituted by Christ

 
There have always been controversies and heresies within the Catholic Church over the course of her two-thousand-year history, one of them being defiance and disobedience towards the papacy in the erroneous belief that one’s adherence to God exempts one from  loyal  obedience to Christ’s chosen Vicar on earth. 
 
What I find most concerning about these controversies is that some Catholics decide to go their own way in schismatic rebellion, believing that they hold the key to the truth. Criticizing the papacy ultimately leads to separation, thus going against our Lord himself. He did tell us to take up our cross and follow him. It is Jesus himself who instituted the papacy; who are we to go against his will? 
 
So far, even the most sinful popes of our history have never changed the basic doctrine and dogmas of the Church. Some came close but ultimately did not. How come? Because Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against his commandment. He said this in the same breath that he said to Peter "You are rock and on this rock I will build my Church... strengthen the brethren... what you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.... to you do I give the keys to the kingdom..." (Matthew 16:18-19, Luke 22:32). When Jesus chose Peter as his vicar, he knew that he and each of his successors would be guided by the Holy Spirit. God’s grace suffices. Catholics need only trust in the promises of Jesus.  
 
Now, some will argue that Peter was an imperfect man, that he betrayed Jesus, that he was cowardly, etc. Yes, it is true. However, Jesus chose this imperfect man to be his vicar on earth. God uses the humblest among us to be witnesses of his glory. One need only evoke such humble saints as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Bernadette Soubirous and St. John Vianney, Curé of Ars, just to name a few. As for St. Peter, while he did deny our Lord three times, he repented and tried to do better. Did he not give his life for his Lord in the end? Did he not follow Christ to his own crucifixion? The answer to both questions is a resounding yes! 
 
We must bear in mind that popes are fallible men who need corrections like the rest of us. For example, St. Catherine of Sienna corrected Pope Gregory XI about returning to Rome from Avignon. St. Paul also had a rather lively discussion with Peter, even proffering a correction. Be that as it may, Paul never usurped Peter’s position or his authority. He did not take upon himself the role of leader and run roughshod over Peter’s decisions. He continued to follow Peter, out of love, loyalty and obedience to Christ.  
 
While popes are human beings capable of making mistakes, the ex-cathedra teachings however are infallible, therefore dogmas and doctrines remain inviolate. No pope in history has yet changed any of the dogmas of the Church, because dogma is an eternal truth revealed by God. It cannot be altered or reversed by any pope or council. It is the teaching of the eternal revelation of God itself which is infallible; it is not the pope himself who is infallible.  
 
For example, basic tenets such as the Trinity, the Resurrection, or the divinity of Christ remain permanently fixed and cannot be undone, ever. Each one is an eternal truth. It is a dogma. Every pope’s mandate is to safeguard this deposit of faith and carry it forward. Whereas doctrinal developments are sometimes done to either deepen or clarify the Church’s understanding of certain issues, such as the death penalty. In these very rare instances, theologians note that these are practical applications and not a reversal of defined dogma.  
 
I recently read a very simple analogy regarding doctrinal development: “A tree can grow a new leaf, or it can be cut down and burned. In both cases, the tree is changed, but in the former case it doesn’t cease to be a tree (indeed, it becomes more tree-like through this change).” In other words, Catholics need not fear that popes are trying to change the eternal teachings of the Church. I believe that God would intervene before that could ever be done. 
 
This reminds me of the strange story of Pope Vigilius, who had agreed to a secret pact with Empress Theodora to secure the papacy through ill means, in exchange of adopting the Monophysite doctrine (the heresy stating that Jesus has only one nature (human) rather than both a human and divine nature) which had been condemned at the Council of Chalcedon in the year 451, a century earlier. Once he ascended to the papacy, Pope Vigilius reversed course. He betrayed the Empress and did not change this dogma. In fact, it would have been impossible to do so. He didn’t even try. God will not be mocked. Jesus will not be usurped. Dogma cannot be changed on the whim or say-so of anyone. We must remember, and trust, that Jesus is leading the barque of Peter until he comes again.  
 
While our eyes must remain on Jesus, we still need to follow his chosen vicar on earth while keeping our heart and soul close to Jesus and his holy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. There has admittedly been a lot of evil and corruption within the Church which is painful to witness. Pope Benedict XVI knew this all too well, as did Pope Saint Paul VI, who bemoaned that the smoke of Satan was entering the Church. Somehow, the Church has withstood two thousand years of external persecution and internal corruption. What we are witnessing in our age is nothing new. Let us remember that Pope Leo XIII had a vision of Satan fighting to take control of the Church and mankind, hence the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel which he immediately composed. The best response we can give, as lay faithful, is to pray for our popes and priests and call out abuses when they appear. 
 
Finally, when all is said and done, we must live and abide by what Jesus gave us: a visible Church composed of saints and sinners, including his chosen vicars on earth whose mandate is to be the shepherd of Jesus’ flock.  
 
May God bless and guide our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. 

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