Why do Catholics call the pope Holy Father when Our Father is really in heaven?

Answer 1

The blind leading the blind .

Answer 2

Mt 23:9
In this passage Jesus is teaching that God is the ultimate Father – alone, the source of all authority. But He is not speaking absolutely because that would eliminate biological fathers, church fathers and so on. Jesus used the term father quite often and not in reference to God. IE Mt 15:4-5, 19:5, 19, 29, 21:23, John 8:56 and numerous others. In the parable of the rich man & Lazarus Jesus used the address father Abraham Luke 16:24, 30, also Acts 7:2, Rom 4:12, Jas 2:21. St Paul uses the term when he wrote that he became our father in Christ through the gospel (1 Cor 4:15, 1 Cor 4:14-16)
In 1 Cor 12:12-30 we are taught that we are one body, one membership but that there will be set aside in the church some as first second third and so on, some will have gifts of faith, healing, tongues, etc.
Catholics believe that Jesus comisioned St Peter as the first leader of the Church. Matthew's gopel has the most direct biblical indication of the papacy: And I tell you, you are Peter (literally meaning rock) and on this rock i will build my church.... I will give you thekeys of the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 16:18-19) based on the statement of Jesus Himself, peter is clearly portrayed in the New Testament as the leader of the disciples. a pope can make infalliable, dinging pronouncements under certian conditions. infalliability doesn't mean that absolutely everything a pope says is free from error. all Christians believe that God protected Holy Scriptures from error by means of inspiration, even though sinful falliable men wrote it. we catholics also believe that God the Holy Spirit protects His Church (Jn 14:16) even though sinful, imprefect men are involved in it.

the pope is like the head of the organization. in the episcopal they they their archbishop (i think that's his title) in othes it's the president of the association. even the first baptist churches, church of God in Christ, methodist, protestant, etc all have a leader at the helm trying to lead the entire masses.

Answer 3

The short answer is that the Bible teaches that the clergy in apostolic succession are called "father" and this is instructed by St. Paul and others.

There is no way that your interpretation could be correct if one reads and understands the Matthew passage in context. He is clearly not teaching that one should not look to any human authority as our teacher, father, master, doctor or other titles of respect but instead give to God those things that are reserved for Him. Do you also refuse to call people doctor, teacher, professor, Mr. or master? All of these are forbidden as well if we are to take your literal position. You are assuming that the Catholic faithful cannot discern the difference in the priest from God which is a very Scripturally immature position to take and it is not forbidden to call a priest, Bishop or the Pope father.

St. Paul called himself father. Certainly Baptism was not all that St. Paul was speaking of when He called himself father. He was speaking of the fact that he is called to shepherd the flock as are all priests. We not only give birth to the Christian through Baptism but also nourish the faithful with the Holy Eucharist and God’s Word. We care for them and bind their spiritual wounds through the delivery of the Sacraments. It is no wonder that we are called father as we care for our Church family as a father cares for his own family.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 4

I've never heard anyone call the pope Holy Father before but i do know that that the pope is the representative who leads the Catholic church while Jesus is away.

Answer 5

John Paul II commented on this, in his book "Crossing the Threshold of Hope."

'I would like to recall the words of Christ together with my first words in St. Peter's Square: "Be not afraid." Have no fear when people call me the "Vicar of Christ," when they say to me "Holy Father," or "Your Holiness," or use titles similar to these, which seem even inimical to the Gospel. Christ himself declared: "Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah" (Mt 23:9-10). These expressions, nevertheless, have evolved out of a long tradition, becoming part of common usage. One must not be afraid of these words either.....

Against this background, a historical background, expressions such as "Supreme Pontiff," "Your Holiness," and "Holy Father" are of little importance. What is important originates in the Death and Resurrection of Christ. What is important is that which comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. For example, Peter, together with the other apostles, and (after his conversion) Paul became authentic witnesses of Christ, faithful unto the shedding of their blood.'

Answer 6

For the Sovereign Pontiff, Successor of Peter as Bishop of Rome, the title of Father is especially apt. The attribution “holy,” in the expression “Holy Father,” does not have a primarily moral content to it, in the sense of identifying the Pope with a saint canonically recognized as such. For Popes, too, the process of canonization is required, in order to propose them as “saints” for the veneration of the faithful. The term “saint” has reference, above all, to the practice of the primitive Church in calling “saint” every member of the Christian community” (see Acts 9:13: Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2; Col 1:2).

The expression “Holy Father” means:

1. On the part of the faithful, a filial, loving relationship, which recognizes in the one so addressed or spoken to, a mission of spiritual fatherhood, expressing that of God toward us, in the threefold charge confided to the Church of preaching the Good News of salvation, of sanctifying the believers, and of gathering together the dispersed children of God. This is a special and supreme responsibility of the Pope in the Church’s threefold mission of teaching, governing and sanctifying, as Prophet, Priest and Shepherd.

2. On the part of the one who is so designated, the responsibility to live this mission in perfect conformity to the will of Christ, “the Holy One of God,” to live what God already asked of His People through Moses: “Be holy, for I am holy” (Lv 11:44; 19:2).

It concerns, then, a fatherhood exercised in the name of God, from Whom “all fatherhood takes its name, both in heaven and on earth” (Eph 3:15), and from which the opening hymn of the Letter to the Ephesians (1:3-14) places the origin, while the verses 15-23 express how this fatherhood should be actualized in the apostolic ministry.

The qualifier “holy” underlines the spiritual dimension of this fatherhood exercised in the name of God; and we have already said that it does not imply a moral judgment on the person of the Pope. The expression “Holy Father” was born in the time of the controversy over lay investiture, and it seemed normal that in its becoming common usage in the acts of the chancery, the Roman Curia had then wished to underscore the spiritual and supernatural level of the mission of the Pope by adding the adjective “holy” — to defend implicitly the superiority of papal power over imperial power.

Answer 7

It is a title. Same as when we call the priest father
The Pope represents God on earth

Answer 8

Well I suppose they have to call him something. The Catholics call their ordinary priests "Father", so they have to call him something more special than just Father.

Answer 9

We can have many fathers.

We have:
+ Biological fathers
+ Step fathers
+ Foster fathers (Saint Joseph)
+ Godfathers
+ Spiritual fathers (ordained clergy: priests and bishops)
. + Our most senior spiritual father, our Holy Father (the Pope)
+ God the Father

None of our other fathers take the place of God the Father in any way.

Matthew 23:6-9 reads, "They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.' As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven."

Are we also not to call anyone "teacher" or "doctor" which is how "rabbi' would translate? I think not.

This is call for humility for those in leadership roles. Not to be taken literally.

We are not to deny our male parent and cut the Commandment to honor our father and mother in half.

Some leaders in any church may fall into the same folly of a lack of humility as the pharisees of Jesus' day.

The Apostle Paul writes:

I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (1 Corinthians 4:14-15)

And:

As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

And:

I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment, who was once useless to you but is now useful to (both) you and me. (Philemon 10-11)

And finally, Peter calls himself the "father" of Mark:

The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son. (1 Peter 5:13)

With love in Christ.

Answer 10

I believe the pope is thought of as being the current 'father' of the church (meaning its priests, etc) here on earth, while god is the 'father' of all.

Answer 11

some really good answers from my fellow catholics. try this website to find out more about the catholic faith, not to convert or anything just for your own information purposes
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/

god bless