Does The Petreine Doctrine declared that the Bishop of Rome was "first among equals."?

Answer 1

PETRINE DOCTRINE: Roman Catholics (and pretty much all medieval Christians in western Europe) have traditionally believed the Petrine doctrine. The Petrine doctrine is the belief that Saint Peter was given special authority by Christ that has since passed on to each Pope. In the Gospel narratives, Matthew 16:18-19, Christ states, "You are Peter [petrus], the Rock [petros], and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. To you I will give the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. What you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (A similar verse is found in John 21:15-17.) Medieval and modern Catholics believed the Archbishop of Rome (i.e., the Pope) was in direct apostolic lineage back to Saint Peter. That means the Archbishop who anointed the Pope had been annointed by others all the way back to Saint Peter. Thus, the Pope inherited the same special authority Saint Peter had

Answer 2

"First among equals" is a bit of an oxymoron. Yes, the Pope is one of the bishops of the Church. They are all equal in that they are all ordained bishops. However, the Pope is first in authority, and holds authority over all other bishops. Therefore, in authority he is not equal to his "equals", but is their superior. His primacy ("firstness") makes him superior, not as a man and not as a bishop, but as the appointed Vicar of Christ. And yet, just as Christ taught, by virtue of his position as superior to his equals, he is thereby the servant of them all, and of the whole Church.