POPE LEO, SAINT PETER AND DONALD TRUMP

Many Catholics were upset with President Trump when he criticized Pope Leo XIV as being “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy.” Trump’s remarks were in response to the pope’s criticism of the war in Iran. Many expressed their belief that the pope is owed a level of respect not due to normal human beings or other religious leaders.

For example, Archbishop James R. Golka of Denver stated that Trump’s language toward the pope, “Fails to reflect the respect owed to the Successor of Peter.” We must point out, however, that this phrase about the pope being “the successor of Peter” is Catholic dogma and nowhere to be found in Scripture.

Now, I believe we should show respect to all human beings and treat one another with a certain dignity and respect. That is called “civilization.” The one thing I want to address--and challenge--in this article is the idea that the pope is owed a unique respect above all others as the “Successor of Peter.”

Peter is Not the Foundation of the Church

Matthew 16:18-19 is used by papal advocates to claim that Jesus said He would build His church on Peter and that He gave Peter the keys of authority over the Church. Add to this the doctrine that the bishop of Rome (the pope) is the successor of Peter and inherits his authority and you have the basis for the authority and preeminence of modern popes.

It is clear, however, from even a cursory examination of Matthew 16:18-19, that the Church is not built on Peter, but on Peter’s revelation of who Jesus is, i.e., on Jesus Himself. This is clearly borne out in Jesus’ response to Peter’s revelation of Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus commends Peter for his revelation, saying,

Blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to you that you are Peter (petros), and on this rock (petra) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

The Greek word for “Peter” in this passage is petros, which referred to a little rock or pebble. The Greek word for “rock” in this passage is petra and it was used to refer to a large, massive stone. With a play on these words, Matthew records Jesus as saying, “You are petros (a little rock), and on this petra (a massive rock) I will build my Church.

The foundation on which Jesus said he would build His Church is not a little rock like Peter, but the massive rock—the petra--which is the revelation of who He is, i.e., Himself. 

That the church is built on Christ Himself is affirmed by Paul in I Corinthians 3:11. Commenting on his founding of the church in Corinth, Paul makes it clear that he did not found that church on either Peter or himself. He wrote, For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

This was the belief of the Church throughout the early centuries. For example, Saint Augustine (354-430), often acclaimed as the greatest of the church fathers, understood the rock to be, not Peter, but Christ. Commenting on this passage, he wrote,

“Therefore,” He saith, “Thou art Peter; and upon this Rock” which thou hast confessed, upon this Rock which thou hast acknowledged, saying, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God, I will build My Church;” that is upon Myself, “the Son of the living God, will I build My Church” (Hyatt, Infallible Pope, 14).

Interestingly, this was the view of Pope Benedict XVI, who as the young Joseph Ratzinger, wrote in his doctoral dissertation, “If the church is founded on Peter, it is not founded on his person, but on his faith . . . the foundation of the church is Christ.” 

Did Jesus Give the Keys to Peter Alone?

Jesus also said to Peter at this time, And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Remember, however, that this was said within the larger context of a discussion with the Twelve. It is obvious from the context and later passages of Scripture that Jesus did not here give Peter authority over the other apostles. Just a few verses down in 16:22-23, Jesus sharply rebukes Peter and says to him, Get behind Me Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.

In Galatians 2:11, Paul tells of publicly rebuking Peter to his face when Peter waffled concerning the equal acceptance of the Gentiles through faith in Christ. Peter obviously accepted this rebuke for in his second epistle he commends Paul to his readers and refers to Paul’s writings as Scripture (II Peter 3:15-16). Indeed, the late Dr. Hans Kung, the most widely read Roman Catholic theologian in the world, described Peter as,

A man passionately committed to Jesus but changeable and wavering. He is errant and fallible; he is no hero or genius. His failure to understand, his lack of courage, his unreliability and his flight are unsparingly reported, as is the flight of the other disciples.[1]

So, the words of Jesus concerning the keys were obviously meant for the whole church, not Peter alone. Peter confirms this himself, for he never claimed any special prominence among the apostles or other church leaders. 

No Exaltation of Peter in the New Testament

The other apostles never offered any special exultation or respect to Peter, nor did Peter ever claim any such respect and honor.  In fact, his humility and self-deprecation stand in stunning contrast to the grandiose titles that modern popes have adopted, such as “Successor of the Prince of the Apostles” and “Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church.”

Jesus, in fact, warned Peter and the other apostles against adopting special titles that would set themselves apart from the rest of the people. In Matt. 23:6-12 He exhorted them,

But you, do not be called “Rabbi”; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

In his letter we know as I Peter, Peter addresses the elders in the churches that will receive his letter and refers to himself as a “fellow-elder.” In other words, instead of exalting himself above all others, he places himself alongside all the other elders in the various churches.

In the New Testament, none of the apostles present themselves with titles in front of their names. In his Second Epistle, Peter refers to Paul as “our beloved brother Paul.” And in his letter to the Seven Churches of Revelation, John, who was one of the Twelves, refers to himself as “your brother in tribulation” (Revelation 1:9).

Someone has said "the ground is level at the Cross" and this was certainly reflected in the words and actions of those earliest Christians, including the Apostles.

In Summary

It is clear that the present authority and preeminence of the pope is a product of Catholic tradition and dogma, not Scripture. They are from the era when Constantine began merging the church with the empire, which led to the “Romanizing” of Christianity and the development of the modern Roman Catholic Church with its pomp, pageantry and hierarchy. Commenting on the dark and sordid history of the papacy in its pursuit of power, the noted Roman Catholic theologian, the late Dr. Hans Kung, wrote,

 The road [to preeminence] was built with an unflagging Roman concern for power, which did not hesitate even over the use of forgeries (Hyatt, Infallible Pope, 8).

I hope that Pope Leo and President Trump can have a productive conversation that is grounded in mutual respect. For this to happen Trump will need to tone down his combative tendencies, and the pope will need to lay aside this erroneous idea that he is owed a special respect and honor above all other human beings. 

[1] Hans King, Christianity: Essence, History and Future ( New York City: Continuum, 1996),  83.

This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's two books, Apostolic Leadership and Infallible Pope?, both available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.