Why Do Catholics Have a Pope? | Catholic Central Clip 

Please note that Protestants are indeed Christians.

@@Indigocerulean yeah I had to learn the hard way lol... But @ least I can see False translations a mile away now. So I try to make my skills useful by helping other protestants see the correct interpretation, that was passed down through Apostolic succession from the Traditions of the Holy Catholic Apostolic Church...

Hi Only Love, the Catholic Church teaches that our Protestant brothers and sisters do indeed share much of the same Truth as the Catholic Church does. In the Vatican II document, "Unitatis Redintegratio", the council made it clear that, while there are doctrinal differences between our faiths, we are all still brothers and sisters in Christ.

@@CatholicCentralVideos Yes I kno, & I agree with that has my whole family r still protestant believers 2day. Its one of the reasons why I started to believe in the Holy Catholic Apostolic Church instead of going in the direction of orthodox churches. As I grew up a protestant my whole life, & was taught to be a anti-catholic on top of that, so I had to go in depth with history to see the truth of the Catholic Church. It was very hard to accept the teachings of the Catholic Church, I had to basically start from scratch without having having bias Views, and realizing it was protestantism that was Reinventing the wheel using sola scriptura. I will be going into RCIA/OCIA soon Ik theres a lot more for me to learn, & will never stop learning more. But I thank u for telling me that bc u never kno when someone can still be confused about what Vatican 2 teaches. Thank u, & God bless u 💯🙏🏼📿🌹🇻🇦

Hi Only Love, we wish you all the best in your faith journey! We would like to point out Christianity is like a family. If we asked all of a persons brothers and sisters to describe their parents, each child would give us an accurate, though different, description. The same could be said for Christianity. Catholics and all of the denominations of Protestantism have different ways of worshiping their God as well as doctrinal differences but, at the end of the day, we all worship the same God - the same God, we might add, that Jews and Muslims worship.

@@CatholicCentralVideos yes I agree with that thank u God bless

Dear @user-ms5qt1zq6d Snarky as your comment may be, we thank you for your inquiry. It touches on important aspects of Catholic teaching and history, and we appreciate the opportunity to address them with the respect and clarity they deserve and, hopefully, alleviate any misconceptions you may have regarding the pope. Peter as the Successor to Jesus: In the Catholic tradition, Peter is considered the first Pope because Jesus appointed him as the leader of His disciples. This is based on passages such as Matthew 16:18-19, where Jesus says to Peter, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." The early Church understood this foundational role to mean that Peter's leadership and the authority given to him would continue through his successors. The Reality of Human Weakness: Indeed, some Popes throughout history have not lived up to the high moral and spiritual standards expected of their office. The Church acknowledges this painful reality. However, the Catholic belief is that the office of the Pope, as the spiritual successor to Peter, is part of God's plan for guiding the Church. The infallibility of the Pope, as defined by the Church, applies only in very specific and limited circumstances related to teaching on faith and morals, not to the personal holiness or sinfulness of the individual holding the office. Holiness Despite Human Flaws: The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus is indeed "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6) and that salvation comes through Him. The role of the Pope and the Church's hierarchy is to serve as a means by which Jesus' teachings and grace are communicated to the faithful. The imperfections of individuals within the Church, including its leaders, do not negate the holiness of the Church itself or the validity of its mission. The Church believes that the Holy Spirit continues to guide it despite human failings. Historical Context and Growth: History shows us that the Church has faced many trials and has been led by individuals of varying degrees of virtue and vice. The presence of "evil men" in the papacy at times is a sad testament to the fact that all humans are susceptible to sin. However, the Church has also been graced with many holy leaders who have greatly contributed to its mission. The Catholic understanding is that God works through human history, including its failures, to bring about His ultimate plan of salvation. Your Faith and Questions: Your reliance on the Bible and your sincere search for truth are commendable and deeply respected within the Catholic Church. The Church encourages the faithful to engage with Scripture and to seek understanding and truth. Your questions do not make you a heretic; rather, they show a commitment to seeking deeper understanding. The Catholic tradition values reason, faith, and ongoing dialogue as means to grow closer to God. In conclusion, the Catholic Church holds that the papacy is a sacred office established by Jesus, with a mission to shepherd His followers. While human weakness can affect those who hold this office, the Church trusts in the Holy Spirit's guidance and the enduring truth of Jesus' promise to be with His Church always (Matthew 28:20). We hope this helps!

@@CatholicCentralVideos your claims to authority are very shaky and you have to admit that, if the catholic church is wrong and doesnt have the authority they claim, would offend the Lord greatly. if your wrong you are TERRIBLY wrong. what is worse than claiming the power of god or to be god or like god? what happens to false prohets and those who lead people away from the word? or those who add to or subtract from it? i think the tradition stuff is cool but im worried for my soul i cant be catholic because i gave my soul to Jesus already. i cannot accept that a man could judge me for anything

​@@Zona-w9i , we must disagree with you. Our claims to authority are rooted in Scripture. After the resurrection, Peter became the head of this new movement. Both secular and religious records then record Linus as the successor to Peter. Since then, the Church has had an unbroken line of succession. This can be proven. We do not see this as being a “shaky claim.” Another area where you are wrong is the statement that says we “claim the power of God” and that we claim the pope to be God or like God. We see the Pope as a flawed human being, like the rest of us. Of course, someone in your position may feel that he is a false prophet who is leading us away from God, but that is your prerogative. But we feel that if you were to look at what we, as Catholics, believe, you would realize that we are not much different from other Christian faith traditions - especially since all those faith traditions grew out of the Catholic Church. The last of your statements we would like to take issue with is that you seem to think we owe our souls to someone other than God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Like you, we surrender our souls the Jesus. The purpose of the Church (and other faiths) is to make sure that we continue to follow Him. Finally, your last line also supposes that our Pope judges us for our sins or worthiness. Again, that is false. We are all flawed and sinful human beings, and the Church recognizes this and helps us to overcome our sinfulness. No one person is worthy of the mercy of God, but we also understand that God is a loving and merciful God. Jesus freed us from our sins but not our propensity to sin. Our faith helps us to see those areas in our lives where we have turned away from God and gives us a way to return to him. But no one in the Church has the power to judge us the way God does, that is His and His alone. We thank you for your questions and hope that we have helped shed some light on those areas where you have been misinformed.

@@CatholicCentralVideos does the pope not have the authority to condemn people to hell? does he have the authority to reduce or increase your time in purgatory? can he excommunicate you? that is judgement over souls. an authority that belongs to the Lord only. i disagree that Jesus bestowed any authority to Peter. your lineage doesnt have any impact on whether or not Peter was given the authority the pope claims now, so it was moot point. it all hinges on whether or not Peter was given special power or not. if your wrong you are probably making God angry.

@@Zona-w9i Once again, we must say that you are woefully misinformed. We are not sure where you are getting your information from, but suffice it to say you may want to look elsewhere. No, the Pope does not have the authority to condemn people to hell, that is not what Catholics believe. No, the Pope has no authority over what happens to you in purgatory. Yes, the Pope can excommunicate you, but that only means that you are no longer part of the Catholic community, it does not condemn you to Hell. Regarding Peter, you are wrong again. In Matthew 16:16-19, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood* has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to 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.” That seems to be a pretty compelling argument, that being said, we do not believe Peter was anything more than a human being. If you are a Christian, and it appears to us that you are, we would urge you to embrace that which we have in common rather than what divides us. Division is the work of the devil. Jesus said this about anyone who preaches in his name, which we both do, “There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.” (MK 9:38)

There is no scriptural record of succession after Peter, but there is a multitude of other evidence that Linus was his successor.

@@CatholicCentralVideos there is no record because Peter was never a Pope.

Jesus identified Peter as his successor here on earth in Matthew 16:18 and tells him that what he binds and looses on earth will be bound and loose in heaven. That is pretty compelling evidence. Add to the the fact that in Acts, Peter led the remaining apostles. So, it can be said that Peter was indeed the head of the Church. As for the term "Pope", it simply means "father" (from the Greek "Pappas"). Since the ninth century, Catholics have used this term for the head of the Catholic Church. There is an unbroken chain that goes from our current Pope, Francis, all the way back to Peter. It is documented by both religious and secular authority.