Papal Authority and the Early Church - Fr. Ray Ryland

start with this fact Cardinal Newman said about God's revelation he said this a revelation is not given if there be no authority to decide what it is that is given let me begin a revelation is not given if there's no authority to decide what it is that is given do you see that yes that problem authority how do we know for certain what God has revealed that underlies all Christian divisions it was really at the at the root it's it's what brings us all into the Catholic Church did the issue of authority but it's never just an issue of authority as such it's always the issue of whose authority whose authority you know the the the four main divisions among Christians about that on an issue of authority we the Protestants will say well it's scripture alone the Anglican say well it's Scripture and tradition the Orthodox say well it's scripture tradition and the Episcopal but only they let's say the first eight council seven councils eight centuries in the case of the Orthodox for councils five centuries in the case of the the elder Anglicans the Catholic Church says well all that's good as far as it goes but there's one thing which is lacking and so it says that we know God has provided the way by which we can know what he has revealed can know authentically can no indeed infallibly because of sacred scripture because which has interpreted the light of the church's whole tradition not just four or five centuries not just seven or eight centuries but twenty centuries interpreted by the Magisterium the Pope and the bishops in communion with him now the standard a non Catholic argument against papal Authority is that it was a later development but they call a fortuitous historical development and that we're going to take a closer look at those early centuries and see that from the very beginning the Pope's acted like and were regarded as though they were divinely inspired and guided as earthly heads of the church now we take just a moment to glance again at familiar territory the structure given by Christ to his church Matthew 16 has been touched on already the commission to Peter Jesus gave Peter a threefold Commission the Commission to be foundation humanly speaking of Christ's Church you are Peter on this rock build my church he entrusted to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven and he gave Peter authority to bind and loose now we know that that authority to bind and loose was given also to the other apostles that we read in a couple of chapters later in in Matthew but now let's look at some of the arguments that non-catholics make against the papacy none of these I think will be new to you but let's let's summarize some of them now be aware of this about these arguments they all date from a later time a distinguished russian orthodox theologian and apologist father minds father john meyendorff whom i've been reading for years almost everything commanders written has made an astonishing admission with regard to Eastern Orthodox apologetics against the papacy he stated without recognizing that in a concession that what he calls the debate between East and West about papacy and authority actually started not until the 13th century I think about that in other words the Eastern Orthodox arguments against the papacy were first Rev way raised well over a thousand years after the successes of Peter began exercising that authority given them by Christ those arguments were not raised in the early centuries there was arguments like those of Protestants many years many centuries later our attempts to justify their separation from Roman communion and jurisdiction they are in fact rationalizations after the fact now but a quick look at those arguments for example when Jesus spoke when when Jesus book of rock either as rock as foundation of the church he really meant not Peter but Peters faith her before yes he said Jesus speaking Aramaic said to Peter yorck caifa and on this caifa I will build my church caifa the first reference to k4 is surely the antecedent of the second reference that it's it's two verses back that there's reference that Peter made as it made his affirmation of faith and furthermore it's impossible to establish a foundation on a statement of faith that statement of faith has to have an interpreter or the argument that the power of the keys and the power binding and loosing were simply two ways of saying the same thing they were identical and the argument goes therefore and this is the Eastern Orthodox argument repeatedly it's it's constantly repeated therefore the argument goes whatever Authority Jesus gave to Peter he gave to all the Apostles on the same basis and therefore further the Commission to Peter was only kind of a generic Commission to all of the Apostles well the response to this is that that I have yet to find a non Catholic argument against the papacy which is willing to look at or even think about what the power of the keys really means they all must have read their Old Testaments and so I assume they choose to ignore what the New Testament teaches us about the power of the keys the power of the keys is a corporate corporate authority it's a power which is very good for example you read in in in the in the 22nd chapter of Isaiah you see a very clear statement of what the power of the keys was the hold of the keys was the master of the palace he was so to speak the prime minister he was in charge of the kingdom under the king himself you see the same thing in Genesis in Genesis 40 42 we see the story of Joseph and Egypt Joseph was master of the palace that keeper the keys he was second-in-command to Pharaoh himself and that business of trying to equate these two simply misses the whole point of the keys are to are to open and shut powers of binding and loosing as Matthew he makes quite clear has to do with individual cases individual cases and individual problems now another argument which is used is that when Jesus said my church he was not referring to the church as a whole Father meyendorff makes this argument he said he meant the local church he meant the church in Jerusalem he says Jesus was saying to Peter I'm putting you in charge of the Church of Jerusalem now the answer was first of all we know from the record that James and not Peter was head of the church in Jerusalem furthermore over 60 times the New Testament refers to the universal church and over 40 times refers to the to the local to a local church in every single instance when the New Testament referring to a local church it makes perfectly clear where that church was located exactly what church they're talking about Jesus was talk in this case about the universal Church there's no qualification besides if this is only at the local church in Jerusalem then Jesus is promising in defect ability only that one church and the rest of my guests could just go hang no no it doesn't it doesn't work doesn't work or another argument and this one I love it and I let me quote this Rome had the church in Rome had great prestige because quote Rome had kerothic consistently rather taken the right side on the air in the christological controversies they had prestige because they happened to be on the winning side now when we examine those controversies father meyendorff mentions we'll discover that the right side was Rome side will discover that the right side turned out to be the right side because and only because it was Rome side or there's a faulty syllogism sometimes used in argument against the papacy and it goes like this and if father mind or makes this one if the Pope had had final authority and matters of doctrine he would have he would asserted it and would have spared the choice from the dogmatic battles which took place that's that's the that's the that's the first thesis the battles did not take place therefore he must not have had a papal Magister mural essentially you see how it goes yeah well I will give that answer to that in in in the in the fourth section of this lecture and there are two more arguments of which will pass quickly one is that only after the sixth century did the Pope's consider themselves as a ultimate authority impressing them the second argument is that in the earliest centuries of the church I'm quoting now the bishops of the east did not consider they render an obligation to obey the Pope of Rome I'm quoting now from another from a Greek Orthodox Bishop Bishop kallisto's ware our next section I hope will refute those two claims let's take a few samplings of the exercise of papal Authority just a few samplings from the early centuries dr. Marsha took us through one of those samplings that the letter of Clement in 96 ad to the church at Corinth heal the sysm he mentioned the fact that they could have appealed to the patriarch of Jerusalem they could appeal to the patriarch of Alexandria they also could have appealed to add the Apostle John himself who was still alive according to you see being to Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian he was still alive then and he was much closer geographically to Corinth than was Rome they could have had an apostle the beloved apostle settle their problems to whom did they appeal they appeal to the successor of Peter let me read to you what he wrote to them a section of what he wrote to them one of my complaints about the the the liturgy of the hours we have several passages in there of which we read in the office of readings but none of them ever gives the crucial the really simple passages from Clement for us to read when clement wrote to them he said you therefore he's talking to the insurgence he says you therefore the prime movers of the sysm submit to the presbyters and bending the knees of your hearts except correction and change your minds and he called on them to repeat it to what we have written through the Holy Spirit see here the only spray you see how big the clear implication there then he spoke of Jesus Christ and Saint Clement said to the insurgents but sure and it disobey what has been said to him by Christ through us get that Christ through us let them understand they will entangle themselves in transgression and no small danger very clearly perceives himself as speaking with the authority of Christ in the second century Pope st. Victor encountered a problem his papacy went from 189 to 199 in the East a number of Jewish converts had brought with them Jewish customs one of which was to observe Passover to observe Easter on the day of Passover the 14th of a month of Nisan even even though it fell during the week and some bed was there was some heretical elements involved in this this this wrongful celebration of Easter and so Victor after having caused some sin it's an ascertain what was actually going on there issued an order saying that the bishops of the East that churches these there was a great portions of the East that they had to come under the church's rule for following Easter otherwise they would be excommunicated the whole section the whole section know if any other Bishop had made that threat he would have been ridiculed it would have been pointless and this is very significant not one not even one of those Eastern bishops under the threat not one of them disputed or questioned the Pope's Authority they fussed about it they screamed about it but they didn't say you can't do that you can't do that and so far as we know that that threat was not carried out and eventually the the the the whole church came out of the same rule of a service of Easter or to skip down to say Pope say to Pope dioecious in in the third middle of 3rd century a middle of the 3rd century you recall a bishop Callistus whereas claim that in early centuries the bishops of the East were under no obligation to obey the Pope well the patriarch of Alexandria Dame Dionysus the same name as the Pope of that time wrote a letter to his bishops condemning civilian ISM civilian ISM also known as modal istic monarch in his net to Thailand which you know it held that the persons of the Godhead are only appearances are modes of presenting God the one God now the bishops to whom dot the patriarch wrote they thought that he had over emphasized the humanity of our Lord and so they complained in a letter to the Pope now that complaint itself is a recognition of papal Authority the Pope answered those bishops setting forth the church's true faith and make use of a term homo asean namely of one substance which 75 years later would be taken up by the council of nicaea in rejecting arianism and he also wrote a deines and he said let's have an explanation about this Dionysus the patriarch wrote right back very graciously said of course of course and he gave the explanation and satisfied the Pope he clearly acknowledged the Pope's authority over him in matters of a doctrine or the case another case and and father Ignatius I don't see him out there but this this is about Antioch father Pope Sixtus ii and also in the third century i had trouble with the man in antioch de paul of sam asada who was a known heretic three Synod of Bishops in the East had tried to get rid of him and they couldn't couldn't get rid of him and finally the Emperor asked the Pope to intervene the Pope intervened and he was out of there and that settled the matter or again in the fourth century Pope Julius Pope Julius is the one who really rescued Athanasius in my readings of church history as a Protestant I always was told about how Athanasius had saved the church from Arianism and it was he wasn't he was a devout and and strong advocate of the true faith but without the support of the Pope he would have gone down and had to stay down to councils and East to heretical councils condemned as Emmaus and evicted him from his heel and as patriarch of Alexandria when he appealed to the Pope Pope Julius II first condemned both councils and reinstalled atthenes in his sea and he asked he said he demanded to know why he had not been consulted beforehand and reminded them of the Church's rule and this is what he said are you ignorant or that this custom that this is customary forward to be written to us first and then for a just sentence to be passed from this place if in any suspicion rested upon the bishop there notice there ought thereof ought to have been sent to the Church of this place that is Rome this that is the council's acting on their way is another former procedure a novel practice what we have received from the Blessed Apostle Peter that I signify to you or one more illustration before we move on a pope promised us back in had waited father down in the sixth century there had been but for thirty five years from about 418 to about five something of 525 518 sent about 518 I guess there had been a system between East and the West the Empress had said and had said had had insisted on rejecting the Council of Cal Seton statement about the nature of our Lord of two natures fully human fully divine and they kept encouraging the heretics and so Rome broke off Dominion with them and and and so this Monophysite ISM that's what it was called that is one naturism flourished flourished in the east encouraged by the emperors during that time a succession of popes repeatedly told the Empress these things this comes out of their correspondence they repeatedly told the Empress the papal office was higher than the Emperor's office there could be no appeal from the Pope's rulings no council can revise or contradict their decisions and that all councils are subject to approval and confirmation by the Pope and we'll see how this was in fact borne out now the Empress would not relent and for the the system went on until about five nineteen but then a new Emperor came along who wanted to reconcile with the West and so he he asked the Pope for him to be reconciled and the Pope said a statement to be signed by all the Eastern bishops who wanted to be received in communion with with and they all signed it and let me read just a part of that just the first part it says the first condition of salvation is to keep the norm of the truth faith and in no way to deviate from the established doctrine of the father's for it is impossible that the words of our Lord Jesus Christ who said thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church it's impossible those words should not be verified and their truth has been proved by the course of history for in the Apostolic See the Catholic religion has always been kept unsullied and from this hope and faith we by no means desire to be separated and following the doctrine the fathers we declare an anthem of all heresies they named a whole bunch of heresies already condemned by Rome and and the old cider and for for a long time that that was a standard of Orthodoxy in the East the bishops were under total obligation you see to obey the Pope let's talk about the Pope's role in the first echo in this first seven ecumenical councils remember that the Orthodox Eastern Orthodox claim is that ecumenical councils are the ultimate authority in the church that this says father meyendorff says these churches at least have always insisted that all doctrinal problems must be settled by debate in ecumenical councils and this is simply untrue we've we've noted already that that the father meyendorff admitted that the debate quote/unquote were to east and west which marks the beginning of Eastern Orthodox apologetics really dates from the 13th century only after the 13th century that Eastern Orthodox apologist insists that ecumenical councils were to be the final authority of the church that is not a consider that a decision of any ecumenical council now this is all as I said an attempt to justify rejecting the authority of the Bishop of Rome nothing in any of those decrees in any way supports this claim not one of the ecumenical councils if you study the history covered not one was able to interpret his own degrees decreased not one was able to enforce its own decrees in every single case the final enforcer the final interpreter of those decrees turned out to be the Bishop of Rome now father mind or says at one place and I find that rather puzzling he says that council has not arrived at truth simply by show of hand but that the conciliar debates were not governed by majority rule he said and he explains he says the minority simply either had to agree with the decision or be excommunicated and does not compute and who told the minority they had they had to agree or be excommunicated they've been already well the majority didn't that's not majority rule well sounds like it if it smells like it and sounds like it must be majority now you recall the argument that we raised a while ago but didn't answer the Pope had if the Pope had final authority in matters of doctrine he would have settled it at those are those early those early dogmatic battles the battles come but the battles took place therefore he did must not have had papal Magisterium QED the answer of course is that the argument is based on a complete misunderstanding of papal doctrinal authority papal infallibility does not mean that the Pope carries around in his head ready-made definitions to every theological problem which can be raised it only means that when the Pope does make a decision he'll be divinely preserved from error even though he's divinely protected and guided the Pope has to use human means to discern the truth to be proclaimed discussion may be necessary discussion about whether something is really in the deposit of faith how it has been previously dealt with if at all sometimes convoking or consenting to a general counsel may be a means of discovering the truth which Christ's vicar must finally proclaim but the fact is that even though they didn't step him the ready-made solutions their authority did prevail let's run through these first seven councils very quickly and see the decisive role that played in each one of them in each instance we're going to find that one of the Pope's one or more had previously condemned the heresy or heretics which the council's were someone to combat in every single case that vision of the council had already been made by a successor of Peter we start with Nicaea focused on the on the heresy of Arianism the Aryans believed that the Son of God had been created ex nihilo by the father to serve as creator of the world and so the son was not God by nature he was a creature subject to change neither fully nor human are fully divine he was something of a tourism quid a third something forerunners of this heresy had been condemned in the second century by Pope Victor and in third century by Pope Dionysus and indeed as we saw a while ago Papa Dionysus brought up that term which is the key word in Knight and accounts of noisy's disease decision despite these condom nations arianism was spreading like wildfire throughout the east and because the Pope's had previously spoken on this issue the bishops who came to Nicaea did not come to consider an open question but they came to render a concurrent judgment on the Pope's teaching pope sylvester presided at the council in the person of his leggett bishop Josias of cordova and in the and then they simply underlined and accepted what about the Pope had previously ruled and the half century after the council it was the Pope which we who repeatedly repeatedly defended upheld the decision of the council not the council itself or we go on to the Council of Constantinople 381 the second one the heresy they face there was it was was called that they're called a Macedonian heretics they recall the new matter maika'i the killers of the Holy Spirit they denied that the Holy Spirit was fully divine they had various theologies in the east of how to defend the big faith but every time they got a new theology they got a new heresy the east fostered have provoked almost every single major heresy in the first five or six or seven or eight centuries almost every single one and not one of those heresies was combated and overcome except by the power of the papacy the Second Council they was called together and and they affirmed the divinity of the Holy Spirit just as as the previous Pope's had done it was composed of Eastern Bishop's entirely but because they concurred in the faith taught by Pope Damasus that fact gave it a chemical status or the council Ephesus which was which was called to to do to deal with it with the heresy of Nestorius he rejected the term Theotokos he said there were two separate persons in the Incarnate Christ he said Mary would be the mother of Jesus the human being but not the mother of God he made a split in our lords in our Lord's person by that effort and so Sarila patriarch of Alexandria wrote to Pope Celestine what we're going to do about this he said it's an ancient custom for such important matters as the deposition of a heretical arts basically referred to Rome the notorious was the archbishop or patriarch of Constantinople had to be dealt with and so Cyril wrote back to Pope - - to the to the the patriarch of Alexandria and he gave him a Thor 'ti to act in his in his happy to do this you give Nestorius an ultimatum from the time he receives us notice he has 10 days in which to recant to reject his heresy and to affirm the full faith of the church or he's deposed and it communicated well this was this this was this was was communicated nestorius he remained firm in his heresy and so the emperor with the Pope's consent some of the general send it and they gave sentence they carried out pope celestine condemnation his reaffirmation of the faith and that was the end of it it was the Pope's decision which was decisive the fourth Council of Cal Seton here we have the problem of a man you kiss you the keys another patriarch of Constantinople there's a theory of which father meyendorff often refers to he what he calls the pen taki theory pen taki from word 5 he says really Authority in the early church was was carried out by the patriarchs of Rome Antioch Alexandria Jerusalem and I'm missing one father ignaty Alexandria Antioch Jerusalem and Constantinople yeah and I mention them yeah they were a lake on earth the fact that matter is that over a period of centuries one or more of those patriarchs was always in heresy how in the world could heretics deal with their own heresy and and hold uphold the authentic faith of the church apart from the fact that there was not one recorded instance in history of any time when those five patriarchs agreed as final authority to solve anything it's a pure theory it comes out of the head of an apologist it's not based in history at all Pope Leo the first Leo the great wrote a letter to to the Archbishop of Constantinople you turkeys was a monk he was not the pedra he was a monk in the Patriarchate of Constantinople the Pope wrote a letter and and set forth the authentic faith and and this letter was be read at a council there so they get him all straightened out well the imprint convoked a council they he loaded it with heretics and they rejected the Pope's letter that was in 449 well when news of the council reached the 4:00 p.m. to condemn they said that's a robbers council law proscenium it's a robbers Council and has been known by that ever since a robbers council it was condemned it was out and so the Emperor try it again this time he got a council with the Pope's guidance a Council of Cal seeding the Council of Cal seeding accepted concurred in what the Pope had taught can that settle the issue again the Pope's decision was was decisive or the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 now we're down to number five the heresy of notorious persisted so they called a fifth acumen of counts ecumenical council and it reaffirmed what Pope Leo had taught on the two nature's of Christ and it condemned the persons who were teaching contrary to that faith again it was a teaching of the faith of the Pope which was decisive or come down to the third Council of Constantinople way down in 686 81 another eastern they were so they were so good at devising these they just couldn't settle any of them it was called Manavi let ISM one will ISM another Eastern heresy which we obtained that that that in the incarnation though he fully divine and full human still he only had one will his divine will sort of swallowed up his human will and of course this is contrary to the Church's teaching and so it the the Emperor finest some of the council at Constantinople and the Pope at that time Pope Agatha following Pope Leo example sent a lengthy lengthy dogmatic letter to the council setting forth the Orthodox doctrine and his letter several times reminded the council that he spoke with the authority of Peter that the Church of Rome had never embraced any error and that she must be obeyed the council received the letter concurred the contents of the letter and in a letter to the Pope this is signed by the whole council this is a Council of Constantinople 686 IDO this is what the council said to the Pope Christ our true God has revealed your holiness as a wise physician Miley driving away the disease of heresy by the medicine of orthodoxy we leave to you what is to be done with the heretics since you occupy the first C of the universal church by writing the writing of the true confession from your paternal blessedness to the most pious King we recognize as pronounced by the chiefest head of the Apostles and the council we have it in the records they begged the Pope to give his confirmation to their decisions by that time that Pope had died but his successor Pope Leo ii did confirm the condemnation and thereby asserted the inviolability of the Roman Catholic faith and the last council yet the last council Second Council of Nicaea in 787 this was an activity at the council dealing with iconoclasm in 726 the Emperor Leo of the authority asourian he shouldn´t edict destroying ordering all images in all the churches to be removed now he may have been following the example of the Muslims whose caliph had just recently destroyed all images in the churches under in the territory of which he controlled the patriarch of Constantinople Saint Jerome honest wrote to pope gregory ii appealing for help the pope may be condemned the heresy immediately in a council and role a little bit late to the patriarchs of Alexandria Antioch and Jerusalem you see all the other four being held being heard from they also begged the Pope to intervene and put an end to heresy but the aprile was using the military force of the military might I might say of the emperor of the empire to maintain that heresy so the Pope was unable to rescue the east for a while but in 780 a new emperor ascended the Byzantium throne under the guardianship of his mother who was not aniconic last and a new orthodox patriarch asked for a general counsel the Pope consented 350 bishops gathered it and I see you a letter from the Pope was read a long document setting forth the doctrine to be held by the council the council's response was we follow we receive we accept the Pope eventually confirmed the decree of the council in every single case the ecumenical councils simply confirmed what the Pope's had decided in every single case the ecumenical councils were ecumenical precisely and only because the Pope had confirmed and approved them now let me say just a word about non papal councils in the East in the first eight centuries there were a many councils held in the East quite apart from the Pope's supervision or approval by the number not one of those councils ever solved one doctrinal controversy almost all if not all were in fact motivated by heresy every single one of them was either ignored or rejected by the successors of Peter now in the light of these facts think about this statement by die bishop that Callistus where the greek orthodox bishop he has written that the whole body of the church is a bearer of infallibility in a sense of course a catholic would agree that the innocence he goes on to say that the council's of bishops are the mouth of the church the councils of bishops are the mouths of the church and if that's true then I would say to following his metaphor in the light of history would have to say that if the council's are the mouth of the church then the papacy is the tongue and the teeth and the lips of the church now try talking without using your tongue or your teeth or your lips and now as Henry the eighth's said to his wives I won't keep you much longer yes let's let's think for just a few moments about some eminent witnesses of the east witnesses of the east and again a father Ignatius here's your beloved st. John Chrysostom the the great great theologian and patriot patriarch and doctor the church an Antioch and man commenting on Matthew 16 st. John Chrysostom fourth century I said which were the greater gifts those which the father gave to Peter speaking about that revealing the faith to Peter or those words a son gave him the father gave to Peter the revelation of the son but the son gave him to spread that of the father and it faith himself throughout the world notice and to a mortal man he entrusted the power over all that is heaven and giving the keys to him to extend to the church throughout the world and showed it stronger than the world say John Chrysostom you know the great eastern Saint he was born and raised in Antioch and he preached most of his famous homilies there and one of the homilies he said God has had great account of this city of Antioch he has shown indeed especially in he ordered Peter the ruler of the whole world a girl to whom he entrusted the keys of heaven to whom he committed the office of bringing all in guard a God ordered Peter to pass a long time here too so they had something to but notice what he says about Peter or let's take a quick look at st. Maximus the Confessor also known as st. Maximus the theologian of the dating from the latter part of the six and and into the seventh century one of the chief theologians of the Incarnation a great theologian of ascetic mysticism a monk persecuted and tortured for obedience to the faith of other to the papal teaching he was in fact by order the Emperor his tongue was cut out in his right hand was severed and this is what I guess is before his right hand was severed wrote this but not to make light of his suffering a heretic had tried to gain st. Maximus has approval for his first teaching he thought I get him on my side that'll give me some wake when I go to Rome car to get them on my side they always went to Rome trying to enlist the Pope's decide if they could and writing about this man Maximus st. Maximus said if the Roman si recognizes Paris to be not only as reprobate reprobate but a heretic it is certainly plain that everyone else who anathematized those those who have rejected him and mathematize the sea of Peter that is he anathematized the Catholic Church I need only add that he excommunicates himself also if it did he be in communion with the Roman sea and the Church of God and he says let him hasten first of all to satisfy the Roman sea for if it is satisfied all will agree in calling him pious and Orthodox for he only speaks in vain who thinks he ought to persuade or entrap persons like myself and does not satisfy and implore the Blessed Pope of the Most Holy Church of the Romans that is the Apostolic See which from the Incarnate son of God himself and also by all holy synod's according to the holy canons and definitions has received universal and supreme dominion authority and power of binding and losing over all the holy churches of God which are in the whole world for with it the word who is above the celestial powers binds and loses in heaven also no stronger statement is possible and this is from one of those bishops about whom the present pollicis Eastern Orthodoxy say they did not regard themselves as bound to obey the post one final one final st. here st. theodora of studium they stood out a a monk who organized his monastery in the most remarkable way in fact his his monastic rule was the model for the Byzantium world for a long time and it still exists on Mount Athos he was persecuted of course an exile for his orthodoxy and fidelity to papal teaching again riding to Pope Leo the third against heretics known as mo achæans we won't go into that one he said since the great Peter Christ has give a Christ our Christ our God gave the office of chief shepherd after entrusting him with the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter or his successors must of necessity every novelty in the church be referred save us most divine head of all heads chief Shepherd of the church under heaven or writing about councils st. Theodore said he referred to the Pope he said to whom is given the authority over an ecumenical sinan Authority he appealed in an appeal for help from from Pope Paschal he wrote hero apostolic head divinely appointed Shepherd of Christ's sheep key bearer of the kingdom of heaven rock of the faith upon whom has built the Catholic Church for Peter art thou who adorned estándar governance the chair of Peter help us Val that art set by God for this stretch forth thy hands so far as thou canst thou has strength with God through being the first of all and finally when he received the Pope's reply to his letter he wrote back in truth we have seen that a manifest successor of the Apostles presides over the Romans shirts we truly believe that Christ has not deserted the church here that is a case Church in Constantinople for it for assistance from you has been our one and our only aid from of old and from the beginning by the Providence of God in the critical times you are indeed the untroubled and pure thought of Orthodoxy from the beginning you are the calm harbor of the whole church far removed from the waves of heresy you the God chosen City of Refuge the City of Refuge in the light of that when you hear this business as well the Pope only had a primacy of Honor because he had to be on the winning side when you hear apologists say that the papal Authority really began in the sixth or seventh century because of for tourist has historical circumstances then you have to ask the person who says that please to go back and read the facts of history simply simply wrong he's not only the first a bishop not that at all he's much more than that thanks be to God he's not just the first among equals from the moment our Lord Jesus Christ ascended Peter and each of the successors has been a living sacrament a living sacrament of the unity and the in defect ability and the infallibility of Jesus Christ one true church and thanks be to God for that

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Published: Tue Feb 03 2015