Are the Priests and Pope sucessors to the Apostle Peter and Paul?

Question

Whom did the apostles Peter and Paul understand to be the “rock,” the “cornerstone”?
Acts 4:8-11, JB: “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed them, ‘Rulers of the people, and elders! . . . it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man is able to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your presence, today. This is the stone rejected by you the builders, but which has proved to be the keystone [“cornerstone,” NAB].’”
1 Pet. 2:4-8, JB: “Set yourselves close to him [the Lord Jesus Christ] so that you too . . . may be living stones making a spiritual house. As scripture says: See how I lay in Zion a precious cornerstone that I have chosen and the man who rests his trust on it will not be disappointed. That means that for you who are believers, it is precious; but for unbelievers, the stone rejected by the builders has proved to be the keystone, a stone to stumble over, a rock to bring men down.”
Eph. 2:20, JB: “You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone.”
What was the belief of Augustine (who was viewed as a saint by the Catholic Church)?
“In this same period of my priesthood, I also wrote a book against a letter of Donatus . . . In a passage in this book, I said about the Apostle Peter: ‘On him as on a rock the Church was built.’ . . . But I know that very frequently at a later time, I so explained what the Lord said: ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,’ that it be understood as built upon Him whom Peter confessed saying: ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,’ and so Peter, called after this rock, represented the person of the Church which is built upon this rock, and has received ‘the keys of the kingdom of heaven.’ For, ‘Thou art Peter’ and not ‘Thou art the rock’ was said to him. But ‘the rock was Christ,’ in confessing whom as also the whole Church confesses, Simon was called Peter.”—The Fathers of the Church—Saint Augustine, the Retractations (Washington, D.C.; 1968), translated by Mary I. Bogan, Book I, p. 90.
Did the other apostles view Peter as having primacy among them?
Luke 22:24-26, JB: “A dispute arose also between them [the apostles] about which should be reckoned the greatest, but he said to them, ‘Among pagans it is the kings who lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are given the title Benefactor. This must not happen with you.’” (If Peter were the “rock,” would there have been any question as to which one of them “should be reckoned the greatest”?)
Since Jesus Christ, the head of the congregation, is alive, does he need successors?
Heb. 7:23-25, JB: “Then there used to be a great number of those other priests [in Israel], because death put an end to each one of them; but this one [Jesus Christ], because he remains for ever, can never lose his priesthood. It follows, then, that his power to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.”

Answer 1

No

Answer 2

"Are the Priests and Pope sucessors to the Apostle Peter and Paul?: Yes, but then you ask:
"Since Jesus Christ, the head of the congregation, is alive, does he need successors?" - to this I again say - Yes, because Jesus is in Heaven, awaiting the end time to come, thus we need a representative here to focus our faith. This is the task of the Pope, and the bishops under him. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they review policies, and church laws/rules, to ensure as free of human sin that can be attained to lead the people (flock). Being human, this review lessens the chance of abuses of power - (see every king on the throne. Power corrupts a persons abilities). Which are in the news, if you remember. Just think how life would be like with out reviews or the Holy Spirit in our lives.
When Jesus returns he will have a totally different task to perform, as he already taught us what to do, he'll separate the flock and end time. Those in Heaven will be in direct communion with GOD, and priests will not be needed. Those not in Heaven will also not need priests, as they have their reward.

Answer 3

No. The church is the rock, not a person/apostle. Notice is says 'this rock', meaning anything but Peter. Paul was a reformist. The Popes have been schismed so many times in Papal history that none would seem to have primacy (ie, the AntiPopes of the 11th/12th C). In fact, there is much evidence to support that the true Primitive Church was the Essenes, rather than the Greek/Romanized Christians. Of course, in LDS concept, all churchs were apostasized once the Apostles were killed.

Answer 4

Peter was the first Pope. He was the Bishop of
Rome. The other Apostles were also bishops who recognized Peter as the Pope and leader. They ordained other men as Bishops and Priests who passed on the Priesthood to others. The Bishops and Priests of the Roman Catholic Church are their successors.

Answer 5

Jesus spoke Aramaic. The words for 'Peter' and 'rock' in that language are the same: kepha. So in the 'Thou art Peter and on this rock' verse, it should be plain what Jesus is saying.

Answer 6

Peter was certainly the leader of the 12 after the ascension and Paul was the first evangelist

Answer 7

+ The Pope +

This is what Jesus said:

John 21:15-17:

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."

He then said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."

He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep.

Matthew 16:17-19:

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."

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.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p4.htm#880

+ Bishops +

Bishops are the Apostles of today. Each one leads a diocese. Special types of bishop are archbishop, cardinal, and pope (who leads the whole Church).

+ Priests +

Priests are co-workers of the bishops and can lead a parish. A special title for a priest is monsignor. Priests are called presbyters in the Bible.

+ Deacons +

Deacons assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity.

This hierarchy is how Jesus and the Apostles set up the original Christian Church.

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 8

these sites will help you as would a catechism of the catholic church, yes the pope is the succesor of peter in brief but these sites will show you in more detail why

www.scripturecatholic.com
www.ewtn.com
www.fisheaters.com
www.salvationhistory.com
www.catholiceducation.org
www.catholic.about.com

Answer 9

Of course.