Why do we love the pope?

Question

In a recent post about the pope, one girl replied: "I don't understand how people can cry, scream... ..in the Pope's presence. He is just a man, too, not the Lord reincarnate...."

Let me put it simply: Christians, if you could somehow go back in a time machine and meet the apostle Peter, how would you react? Would you listen to him? Would you respect the fact that he was given his apostleship by Christ himself? Can you deny that you would be at least a little excited to met this Simon Bar Jonah who Jesus renamed Peter?
Well, that's how we feel about the pope. We believe he is Peter's successor. (Here is a list: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272b.htm )
Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, the Son of the Living God. The pope is a man. But, the pope occupies an office we feel was established by Christ himself (Matt: 16: 17-19) and we respect that. That's all there is to it. Here is more info about the pope if you're interested: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12260a.htm

Oh, and before you go off the deep end about Papal Infallibility, read this: http://www.catholic.com/library/Papal_Infallibility.asp

Comments anyone?
God bless you all

To "Mastermind": About washing feet, look at this:
http://www.usccb.org/pope/gallery/pope28.jpg

Answer 1

A lot of people criticize the Pope by saying "He's a sinner like the rest of us."

Catholics agree! We all know he is a sinner. Gosh, if we weren't sinners there would be no need for the Church and the sacraments.

However, Benedict still deserves respect for his special office, just as people give respect to a king or president.

So many people preach tolerance and respect and love for their fellow man, yet they do not give respect or show love to the Catholic popes.

Answer 2

Part of the positive reaction to the Papacy by non-Christians was due to the efforts of John Paul II. That previous Pope gained a level of respectability that boosted your Church's reputation in the Third World and the East (excluding of course the Chinese government, but then again they have a problem with any person who might hold sway over the people)

Your current Pope, being less charasmatic and more of an intellectual, does not stir the heart. He seems less inspired, and a little more authoritarian. (I said "a little" - so i hope no one misconstrues that..... If i recall correctly, i think someone actually did that to Pope Benedict regarding a certain historical statement).

Answer 3

As a Catholic, I have to admit that the office of the papacy has turned into something of a celebrity office.

I was in Jr. High when John Paul II took office. I think he did a lot of great things in office, and was instrumental in the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. But I still get a bad taste in my mouth when I see the picture of him kissing a Koran at a Muslim mosque. Hadn't he read what's in that vile thing?

The Pope is the earthly authority upon which Christ established his church. If you follow the Pope down a wrong path, the responsibility is his, not yours. I think the authority comes with a lot of responsibility, and there's no doubt a number of Popes roasting in hell today as a result.

CJ, you're so predictable. . . Yayaya false gospel yayayaya works yadayadaydada. Somebody whap him upside the head, his needle's stuck again.

Answer 4

I love the POPE
Let me count the ways:
HH Pope BenXVI is a human being made in the image of God,
a gentle man with a very tough job,
a prayerful Christian who stands up for what he believes,
one of the most learned people on the planet,
a dedicated fellow Catholic Christian
with an lovely elfish accent when he speaks English
(Yes, I can recognize an elf accent from my days working with St Nicholas),
'who good musical taste
and better liturgical taste than many,many clergy,heis hated by people
and he is savagely hated by people whose opinion on moral and theological topics I have no respect for


HH Pope Ben 16 is
a good priest,
who is charitable to his detractors,
an orthodox theologian,
a responsible bishop
who is not full of himself
inspite of the fact that he has forgotten more things than most PHDs ever learned

Ben 16 is my German Shepherd
the true Vicar(not successor or replacement)of Jesus Christ,
a responsible and humble steward of the Church before Christ,
The legitimate Successor of Peter,
the Universal Pastor of the Church in this time,
the Servant of the Servants of God,
the authorized Sub-Captain of the Bark of Peter,
the legitimate Successor of St Peter,Princeps Apostolorum,
sign of unity and continuity.

And there are many more

Viva Il Papa!
Glory to Jesus Christ, the One Everlasting Head of theBody,
Great High Priest and Sole Lord of Lords!

Answer 5

If only you actually could go back in time. You would see that the first acting Pope was Emperor Constantine in Turkey. Then you would see that the first man actually to be given the title appeared in 607 A.D.

They simply took the records and re-wrote them to accommodate and validate their position. It is a bogus history. Peter would shock you.

He was nowhere to be found in Rome. His gospel the Gospel of Mark was very popular there about the time Paul was in Pris ion though.

Answer 6

Because he is the chosen successor to Peter, and he is an amazing man who has suffered through Nazism and Communism with much grace, he has great wisdom and is a loving and kind hearted man(just ask Chico the cat).

Did you know that he has an apartment in Rome that he has kept since becoming pope, just for his 3 cats, which were not allowed in the papal apartment? He visits them from time to time, and they are cared for by an order of nuns who volunteer for this duty.

Answer 7

There is nothing in the Bible about a Pope. And the idea of one man being better then all the other believers is not something the Bible teaches.

In the Catholic Religion, even the priest are considered higher then the regular church goer. That is not what the true body of Christ is supposed to be, in fact the Bible is apposed to the idea of wearing clerical dress.

We are all equal in the eyes of God, God is not a respector of persons, priest or pope.

There is no mention of the Pope in the Bible, that word is an invention of the Catholic church. Also, Peter never went to rome, and only had followers who were Jewish, not Gentiles. (non-Jews).

The true Church is the people, not a building or religious organization. Christ is the head, and the followers are the true believers who put their faith in Christ alone.

Answer 8

I may respect the pope, just like I respect most world leaders, but I personally wouldn't say that I'd get all excited about him - not that I wouldn't mind a quiet afternoon tea with him.

Answer 9

John Paul 2 was a pope I had a great deal of respect for. good man all around...Bennedict though seems to be undoing all the progressive steps that JP2 managed to accomplish. But, yeah, I know where you coming from I guess...the Pope's a rock star!

Answer 10

He has a cool hat.
The Pope is a man of God. I respect all men of all gods. They at least TRY to get it right.