Crucifixion Church
Faith Formation Dept.

Apologetics Minute: The Pope/Bishops/Priests

 

 

 

“Where does the Catholic Church get the title of ‘Pope’?”

The title of “Pope,” which means father, as referring just to the bishop of Rome comes from the 10th century, but it was used for all bishops before that point and has roots in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 22:15-25, the prophet tells Shebna that his sin has caused him to lose stewardship of the “house,” or kingdom, “of David”. This position is just below that of king and will be passed on to Eliakim, who is described in Is. 22:21 as being a “father” to God’s people. Eliakim is given a “key” in Is. 22:22 to signify this position. Jesus, in Matthew 16:19, gives Peter the “keys,” using this same imagery. If Eliakim holds the “key to the house of David” and is a “father,” then Peter, who is given the “keys to the kingdom of heaven,” is also a father, or papa, or pope, to God’s people as well.

 

“What is and why does the Catholic Church believe in papal infallibility?”

Papal infallibility is the belief that when the Pope speaks ex cathedra, meaning “from the chair,” on matters of faith and morals, he is protected from error. This does not mean that the Pope always gives every insight to every matter, but when he does, he’ll be protected from error. Catholics believe this comes from the Jewish authority of the “chair of Moses”. Jesus refers to this in Matthew 23:2, when He instructs people to follow the teachings of the Pharisees, even if the Pharisees don’t follow them. Even if our Popes don’t live virtuous lives, their teachings are still protected from error and binding if they come from the “chair” (Matthew 23:2-3). Catholics also believe papal infallibility comes from Matthew 16:18-19, when Christ gave Peter the “keys to the Kingdom of Heaven,” which the “gates of hell,” understood to be false teaching, shall not prevail against.

 

 

"Why do Catholics confess sins to a priest?”

Catholics confess sins to a priest because the Bible explicitly tells us to “confess the sin” one has committed in Leviticus 5:4-6 and to “confess your sins to one another” in James 5:15-16. The Bible also tells us that specific representatives may forgive sins in God’s name. The first example is the prophet Nathan, who forgave King David when he sinned against God in 2 Samuel 12:13. The second comes from Jesus, who, when seeing the Apostles after the Resurrection, gave them the authority to forgive sins in John 20:21-23. Now, there is no way for a human to know another’s sin and forgive that person without a confession, making a spoken confession necessary.

 

 

“Where does the Catholic Church get the title of ‘Pope’?”

The title of “Pope,” which means father, as referring just to the bishop of Rome comes from the 10th century, but it was used for all bishops before that point and has roots in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 22:15-25, the prophet tells Shebna that his sin has caused him to lose stewardship of the “house,” or kingdom, “of David”. This position is just below that of king and will be passed on to Eliakim, who is described in Is. 22:21 as being a “father” to God’s people. Eliakim is given a “key” in Is. 22:22 to signify this position. Jesus, in Matthew 16:19, gives Peter the “keys,” using this same imagery. If Eliakim holds the “key to the house of David” and is a “father,” then Peter, who is given the “keys to the kingdom of heaven,” is also a father, or papa, or pope, to God’s people as well.