Who appointed the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church and appointed the first pope to office?

Question

The Origins of the Roman Cathilic Church

Answer 1

Constantine in 330 AD

Answer 2

As mentioned above, Jesus. However, if you read the writings of the early Christians you will realize the papacy functioned even while the Apostles were alive. Read I Clement. Clement was the third pope and was ordained by Peter and was a disciple of Peter and I believe John. John was still alive when I Clement was written, yet it was Clement who sent an epistle correcting the Church at Corinth. Also read the writings of Ignatius of Antioch, who also was a disciple of John and Peter and the bishop of Antioch after Evodius and Peter the Apostle.

See also Acts 1:46. Each Catholic and Orthodox bishop is a successor by ordination to an apostle. Unlike Protestant ministers who simply volunteered to run the show, Catholic and Orthodox ministers have a direct tie to Jesus' appointment of the Twelve and the Seventy and Paul.

One other note, the word Roman Catholic isn't a Catholic phrase it is a Protestant insult. The word Catholic means all embracing or according to the whole. As such, it cannot be qualified. By attaching "Roman" to the front, they put a qualifier in it. Catholic basically means non-denominational. Protestants want the Church to be a denomination, which it isn't. The word denomination means to follow a name, for example, Lutheran or Calvinist. The word Catholic means to embrace all who will be embraced and to govern according the understanding of the whole across all time. There is no named person to follow. The job of the Pope is to bring forth this understanding of the whole corporate body and to correct it when it strays from earlier beliefs of the whole. The Pope's opinion does not matter except as it is a restatement of belief from the apostolic period across all time and place.

Answer 3

The Romans. When Rome decided to acknowledge and accept the Christian faith instead of persecuting and destroying it, they did so with the idea that they should still have a strong hand in the running of the church. Since Ceasar had always been considered a "god", they felt that the idea of God should fall under their jurisdiction. Consequently, the Roman Catholic Church quickly became more of a political entity than a spiritual one. Allegiance was given to the Pope instead of to God. The difference of opinion on who was worthy of the allegiance led to the separation of the Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox branches. Had the allegiance been to God, there would not have been the break in the denomination. As for Peter being the first Pope, Peter was called "the rock" for his faith, and God said He would build His church on this type of faith. Think about it, would God build His church on the faith of his people or on a person?

Answer 4

Just like a few other folks here I'm going to tell you Jesus appointed Peter as first pope. He and Paul died together as martyrs for their faith.

The earliest church fathers were still practicing Jews. They were first called Christians in the Book of Acts. They were known as followers of "the way." As in "the way of Christ." And initially saw themselves as a branch of Judaism.

Which is why folks say Judeo-Christian...

Paul was given a vision to take the teachings of Christ to the Gentiles. That is the non-Hebrew people. The early church struggled for how to incorporate the Gentiles into their Hebrew ways. As they did so, they became the Catholic (which means Universal) and Apostolic (as in founded by the apostles) church.

If you went to a Jewish service and then a Catholic service, you would find the two amazingly similar. Pre-Vatican II services even more so. Due to our Jewish roots.

Our friend "mum" here has a misunderstanding of what "papal infallibility" is. It doesn't mean the pope is never wrong. It goes back to the words of Jesus. "What you bind on earth, is bound in heaven. What you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven."

Or as the neo-pagans say "As above, so below."

That means - what the pope says goes!

Answer 5

After Jesus left, the congregation ( in Greek eklesia ) decided that Peter, named by Jesus as keeper of the keys and ordered to take care of His sheep, should be the head of the group ( eklesia ). After Peter was crucified, the congregation named Linus as successor, as so on. As general information , almost all the first Popes were martyrs, until the IV century, when Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Empire. Christians usually gathered in the catacombs, because were persecuted by the Emperors

Answer 6

Jesus choose Peter the Apostle as the rock upon which he will build his church. Jesus Christ was the Founder of the Roman Catholic Church.

Answer 7

Some patriarch named Michael Cerularius declared the Pope in Rome infallible in the year 1054 and thus the Catholic Church was formed breaking away from other Christian sects.

Answer 8

Jesus appointed Simon Peter as the first Pope of his church here on earth. He told Peter that he was the Rock upon which Jesus would build his church here on earth---and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

Can you imagine how Peter felt? Probably woefully insignificant and unqualified!

And even today with all the problems that have tried to swallow our Catholic Church, the gates of Hell have not prevailed against it!

Answer 9

Jesus said to him in reply, "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." (Matthew 16:17-19)

The Catholic Church believes 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 Pope is the senior pastor of 1.1 billion Catholics, the direct successor of Simon Peter.

With love in Christ.

Answer 10

Pay attention to Noice & Bubba's answers. Closer to the truth than what we'd like to think. This is a basis for the Reformation period & the seeding of the Protestant & similar faiths.