Q. What's so special about a pope?
A. Basically that he is the Bishop of Rome.
Q. What's so special about that?
A. 2 things. First a bishop (validly ordained) is a direct descendant of the very apostles Christ chose. Second, Rome is very same place (or diocese) where the head of that band of apostles - St. Peter - lived, preached and was martyred.
Q. How is a bishop a descendant of the apostles?
A. Through an uninterrupted "laying on of hands" the apostles passed on a supernatural power they had received from Christ himself to other men and they to others and so on up to and including the bishops of today. By this power, the apostles and their descendants - the bishops - could make men into priests i.e. give a man the powers Christ himself had to change bread and wine into his Body and Blood and to forgive sins. Bishops also have the power to make other bishops.
Q. Why was St. Peter special among the apostles?
A. Because it was to him that Christ said (paraphrased): You are 'Rock' ("Peter", "Cepha"), and on this rock ("petros", "cepha") I will build my church. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The other apostles understood and acknowledged this pre-eminence:
-always naming him first when listing the apostles (in the same way Judas is always listed last);
-when Christ forewarned the apostles they were to be tried by Satan just before the crucifixion, Christ told Peter "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have YOU ("vos" in Latin, "nyinyi" in Kiswahili) , that he might sift YOU ("vos", "nyinyi") like wheat, but I have prayed for YOU ("te" in Latin, "wewe" in Kiswahili) that YOUR ("tua" in Latin, "yako" in Kiswahili) faith may not fail; and when YOU ("tu" in Latin, "wewe" in Kiswahili) have turned again, strengthen YOUR ("tuos" in Latin, "wako" in Kiswahili) brethren" (Lk 22:31-32). Unfortunately, English - unlike the original Greek or its Latin or Swahili translations - doesn't make these distinctions and thus lose the full import of Christ's words...
-when there was a dispute in the early church, such as with the question of circumcision of converts, the matter was referred to Peter (by no less than St Paul & St Barnabas), etc.
18th October 2015