INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE PAPACY
Whom do we Catholics understand by the pope?
The general and visible head of the Church of Christ, the Bishop of Rome.
Did St. Peter conduct himself as head of the Church?
Yes, for after the resurrection of our Lord, he showed himself always as head in all ecclesiastical affairs, for which reason St. Chrysosrom calls him "the mouth-piece of the apostles, the prince and head of that group." Thus he presided over the election which resulted in Mathias' being chosen to the place among the apostles made vacant by the trea son of Judas (Acts 1:25-26), he presided at, and opened the first gen eral council at Jerusalem, with him, the whole assembly afterwards agreed (Acts 15:7,12), and in the gospels, if occasionally there is a dif ference made among the apostles, St. Peter is always placed first (Lk. 6:14). St. Matthew says: The first: Simon who is called Peter (Mt.
10:2), since Peter was by no means first according to calling, it is evi dent that according to position the other apostles acknowledged him as their head.
Did not this chief pastorship of St. Peter end with his death?
No, it did not end then and could not, because by Christ's unfailing promise the Church continues, and will continue unto the end of the world, and to retain unity in matters of faith and morals there must be a central point, which is and can be no other than the successor of St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome, in which city St. Peter governed the Church of Christ for twenty five years, there he died the glorious death of a martyr, and there he lies buried, as impartial history testifies. The Bishops of Rome have, therefore, ever since held this supreme pastorship the whole Church, without there having ever keen well ground ed objection to their doing so; the Roman Pontiffs as head of the Church have not only received the homage of single bishops, but also of whole general councils, and have been given the highest titles, as, for instance, St. Irenaeus calls the Bishop of Rome the "Bishop of Bish ops," and the Council of Chalcedon the "Prince of Bishops." The union with the Bishop of Rome in matters of faith and morals has al ways been regarded as the badge of a true Christian, and on account of this union with the Roman Pontiff, we call ourselves Roman Catholics; no one can make us ashamed of the title, for even the great Father of the Church, St. Jerome, writes: "I meanwhile declare aloud: Who holds to the faith of St. Peter's Chair, he is mine." Remain ever firm to this center of unity, St. Peter's Chair; for "how can he regard himself," writes Sr. Cyprian, "as a member of the Church, who abandons the Chair of St. Peter, on which the Church is founded?"
