The Catholic Church does not make
that claim.
The Church claims only that the Word
of the Lord Jesus was faithfully
kept by His apostles, and passed
down both orally and in writing (Scripture), and that
this keeping and this passing down
was the work of the Holy Spirit,
which preserves the Word and the
understanding of it to this day,
according to the promise of Christ
recorded in Scripture.
I've added a section from the Catechism
that should clarify your misperceptions
about the Pope.
Mary Ann
I. THE HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION
OF THE CHURCH
Why the ecclesial ministry?
874 Christ is himself the source
of ministry in the Church. He
instituted the Church. He gave
her authority and mission, orientation
and goal:
In order to shepherd the People
of God and to increase its numbers
without cease, Christ the Lord
set up in his Church a variety
of offices which aim at the good
of the whole body. The holders
of office, who are invested with
a sacred power, are, in fact,
dedicated to promoting the interests
of their brethren, so that all
who belong to the People of God
. . . may attain to salvation.
875 "How are they to believe
in him of whom they have never
heard? And how are they to hear
without a preacher? And how can
men preach unless they are sent?"
No one — no individual and
no community — can proclaim
the Gospel to himself: "Faith
comes from what is heard." No
one can give himself the mandate
and the mission to proclaim the
Gospel. The one sent by the Lord
does not speak and act on his
own authority, but by virtue of
Christ's authority; not as a member
of the community, but speaking
to it in the name of Christ. No
one can bestow grace on himself;
it must be given and offered.
This fact presupposes ministers
of grace, authorized and empowered
by Christ. From him, bishops and
priests receive the mission and
faculty ("the sacred power")
to act in persona Christi Capitis;
deacons receive the strength to
serve the people of God in the
diaconia of liturgy, word and
charity, in communion with the
bishop and his presbyterate. The
ministry in which Christ's emissaries
do and give by God's grace what
they cannot do and give by their
own powers, is called a "sacrament" by
the Church's tradition. Indeed,
the ministry of the Church is
conferred by a special sacrament.
876 Intrinsically linked to the
sacramental nature of ecclesial
ministry is its character as service.
Entirely dependent on Christ who
gives mission and authority, ministers
are truly "slaves of Christ,"
in the image of him who freely
took "the form of a slave" for
us. Because the word and grace
of which they are ministers are
not their own, but are given to
them by Christ for the sake of
others, they must freely become
the slaves of all.
877 Likewise, it belongs to the
sacramental nature of ecclesial
ministry that it have a collegial
character. In fact, from the beginning
of his ministry, the Lord Jesus
instituted the Twelve as "the
seeds of the new Israel and the
beginning of the sacred hierarchy."
Chosen together, they were also
sent out together, and their fraternal
unity would be at the service
of the fraternal communion of
all the faithful: they would reflect
and witness to the communion of
the divine persons.
For this reason every bishop exercises
his ministry from within the episcopal
college, in communion with the
bishop of Rome, the successor
of St. Peter and head of the college.
So also priests exercise their
ministry from within the presbyterium
of the diocese, under the direction
of their bishop.
878 Finally, it belongs to the
sacramental nature of ecclesial
ministry that it have a personal
character. Although Christ's ministers
act in communion with one another,
they also always act in a personal
way. Each one is called personally: "You,
follow me" in order to be
a personal witness within the
common mission, to bear personal
responsibility before him who
gives the mission, acting "in
his person" and for other
persons: "I baptize you in
the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit
. . ."; "I absolve you
. . . ."
879 Sacramental ministry in the
Church, then, is a service exercised
in the name of Christ. It has
a personal character and a collegial
form. This is evidenced by the
bonds between the episcopal college
and its head, the successor of
St. Peter, and in the relationship
between the bishop's pastoral
responsibility for his particular
church and the common solicitude
of the episcopal college for the
universal Church.
The episcopal college and its
head, the Pope
880 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."
881 The Lord made Simon alone,
whom he named Peter, the "rock" of
his Church. He gave him
the keys of his Church and instituted
him shepherd of the whole flock. "The
office of binding and loosing
which was given to Peter was also
assigned to the college of apostles
united to its head." This
pastoral office of Peter and the
other apostles belongs to the
Church's very foundation and is
continued by the bishops under
the primacy of the Pope.
882 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and
Peter's successor, "is the
perpetual and visible source and
foundation of the unity both of
the bishops and of the whole company
of the faithful." "For
the Roman Pontiff, by reason of
his office as Vicar of Christ,
and as pastor of the entire Church
has full, supreme, and universal
power over the whole Church, a
power which he can always exercise
unhindered."
883 "The college or body
of bishops has no authority unless
united with the Roman Pontiff,
Peter's successor, as its head." As
such, this college has "supreme
and full authority over the universal
Church; but this power cannot
be exercised without the agreement
of the Roman Pontiff."
884 "The college of bishops
exercises power over the universal
Church in a solemn manner in an
ecumenical council." But "there
never is an ecumenical council
which is not confirmed or at least
recognized as such by Peter's
successor."
885 "This college, in so
far as it is composed of many
members, is the expression of
the variety and universality of
the People of God; and of the
unity of the flock of Christ,
in so far as it is assembled under
one head."
886 "The individual bishops
are the visible source and foundation
of unity in their own particular
Churches." As such, they "exercise
their pastoral office over the
portion of the People of God assigned
to them," assisted by priests
and deacons. But, as a member
of the episcopal college, each
bishop shares in the concern for
all the Churches. The bishops
exercise this care first "by
ruling well their own Churches
as portions of the universal Church," and
so contributing "to the welfare
of the whole Mystical Body, which,
from another point of view, is
a corporate body of Churches."
They extend it especially to the
poor, to those persecuted for
the faith, as well as to missionaries
who are working throughout the
world.
887 Neighboring particular Churches
who share the same culture form
ecclesiastical provinces or larger
groupings called patriarchates
or regions. The bishops of these
groupings can meet in synods or
provincial councils. "In
a like fashion, the episcopal
conferences at the present time
are in a position to contribute
in many and fruitful ways to the
concrete realization of the collegiate
spirit."
* The teaching office
888 Bishops, with priests as co-workers,
have as their first task "to
preach the Gospel of God to all
men," in keeping with the
Lord's command. They are "heralds
of faith, who draw new disciples
to Christ; they are authentic
teachers" of the apostolic
faith "endowed with the authority
of Christ."
889 In order to preserve the Church
in the purity of the faith handed
on by the apostles, Christ who
is the Truth willed to confer
on her a share in his own infallibility.
By a "supernatural sense
of faith" the People of God,
under the guidance of the Church's
living Magisterium, "unfailingly
adheres to this faith."
890 The mission of the Magisterium
is linked to the definitive nature
of the covenant established by
God with his people in Christ.
It is this Magisterium's task
to preserve God's people from
deviations and defections and
to guarantee them the objective
possibility of professing the
true faith without error. Thus,
the pastoral duty of the Magisterium
is aimed at seeing to it that
the People of God abides in the
truth that liberates. To fulfill
this service, Christ endowed the
Church's shepherds with the charism
of infallibility in matters of
faith and morals. The exercise
of this charism takes several
forms:
891 "The Roman Pontiff, head
of the college of bishops, enjoys
this infallibility in virtue of
his office, when, as supreme pastor
and teacher of all the faithful
- who confirms his brethren in
the faith he proclaims by a definitive
act a doctrine pertaining to faith
or morals. . . . The infallibility
promised to the Church is also
present in the body of bishops
when, together with Peter's successor,
they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above
all in an Ecumenical Council.
When the Church through its supreme
Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for
belief as being divinely revealed,"
and as the teaching of Christ,
the definitions "must be
adhered to with the obedience
of faith." This infallibility
extends as far as the deposit
of divine Revelation itself.
892 Divine assistance is also
given to the successors of the
apostles, teaching in communion
with the successor of Peter, and,
in a particular way, to the bishop
of Rome, pastor of the whole Church,
when, without arriving at an infallible
definition and without pronouncing
in a "definitive manner," they
propose in the exercise of the
ordinary Magisterium a teaching
that leads to better understanding
of Revelation in matters of faith
and morals. To this ordinary teaching
the faithful "are to adhere
to it with religious assent"
which, though distinct from the
assent of faith, is nonetheless
an extension of it.
The sanctifying office
893 The bishop is "the steward
of the grace of the supreme priesthood,"
especially in the Eucharist which
he offers personally or whose
offering he assures through the
priests, his co-workers. The Eucharist
is the center of the life of the
particular Church. The bishop
and priests sanctify the Church
by their prayer and work, by their
ministry of the word and of the
sacraments. They sanctify her
by their example, "not as
domineering over those in your
charge but being examples to the
flock." Thus, "together
with the flock entrusted to them,
they may attain to eternal life."
The governing office
894 "The bishops, as vicars
and legates of Christ, govern
the particular Churches assigned
to them by their counsels, exhortations,
and example, but over and above
that also by the authority and
sacred power" which indeed
they ought to exercise so as to
edify, in the spirit of service
which is that of their Master.
895 "The power which they
exercise personally in the name
of Christ, is proper, ordinary,
and immediate, although its exercise
is ultimately controlled by the
supreme authority of the Church."
But the bishops should not be
thought of as vicars of the Pope.
His ordinary and immediate authority
over the whole Church does not
annul, but on the contrary confirms
and defends that of the bishops.
Their authority must be exercised
in communion with the whole Church
under the guidance of the Pope.
896 The Good Shepherd ought to
be the model and "form" of
the bishop's pastoral office.
Conscious of his own weaknesses, "the
bishop . . . can have compassion
for those who are ignorant and
erring. He should not refuse to
listen to his subjects whose welfare
he promotes as of his very own
children. . . . The faithful .
. . should be closely attached
to the bishop as the Church is
to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus
Christ is to the Father":
Let all follow
the bishop, as Jesus Christ
follows his Father, and the
college of presbyters as the
apostles; respect the deacons
as you do God's law. Let no
one do anything concerning
the Church in separation from
the bishop.
St. Ignatius
of Antioch, 107AD
