Waswe, Pope Nao “Changem Saint Peter”?

LONG 2002, Pope John Paul II raetem wanfala leta go long bishop bilong Limburg long Germany for changem disison bilong datfala bishop abaotem wei for killim dae baby long bele. Long start bilong leta bilong hem, Pope sei hem garem waka for “lukaftarem evri church and helpem olketa for waka tugeta followim wanem Jesus Christ laekem.” Pope hem sei, from hem nao “changem Saint Peter” hem garem raet for changem wanem datfala bishop disaedem.

Wanfala buk bilong Roman Catholic Church hem sei: “Christ markem Saint Peter for leader bilong olketa aposol.” Datfala buk talem tu: “Christ hem sei, bihaen Peter hem dae narawan bae changem Peter for duim waka olsem leader. Samwan mas evritaem duim datfala waka and olketa bishop bilong Rome nao bae duim datwan.”—New Catholic Encyclopedia (2003), Volume 11, page 495-496

Hem important for ting raonem olketa samting hia. Long tingting bilong iu, waswe, samting wea Pope and datfala buk talem hem tru? Iumi laek for ting raonem ansa for thrifala kwestin hia: (1) Waswe, Bible showimaot Peter nao hem firstfala pope? (2) Wanem nao history showimaot abaotem start bilong olketa pope? (3) Waswe, teaching and wei bilong olketa pope showimaot olketa changem Peter?

Waswe, Peter Nao Firstfala Pope?

For longtaem kam finis olketa Catholic iusim toktok bilong Jesus long Matthew 16:18 for pruvim Peter nao first wan wea leadim church. Datfala scripture sei: “Iu nao Peter, and mi bae buildim kongregeson bilong mi long disfala big ston.” Olketa raetem toktok hia long Latin languis long ceiling bilong haos wea olketa kolem St. Peter’s Basilica, long Rome.

Augustine, wanfala Church Father wea pipol respectim, firstaem hem bilivim Peter nao first wan wea leadim kongregeson. Bat gogo taem hem olo hem changem biliv bilong hem abaotem wanem Jesus talem long Matthew 16:18. Long disfala buk Retractations wea Augustine raetem hem sei, Jesus nao leader bilong church (wea minim kongregeson), and no Peter. *

Hem tru, olketa Gospel storyim Peter duim staka important samting. Samfala taem Jesus chusim Peter, James, and John for stap witim hem taem samfala important samting happen. (Mark 5:37, 38; 9:2; 14:33) Jesus givim Peter “olketa key bilong Kingdom bilong God.” Peter iusim olketa key hia for helpem pipol savve long Kingdom. Firstaem hem helpem olketa Jew and olketa wea followim religion bilong olketa Jew, then olketa Samaritan, and bihaen olketa wea no Jew. (Matthew 16:19; Acts 2:5, 41; 8:14-17; 10:45) From Peter hem man for story, samfala taem hem nao savve toktok for saed bilong olketa aposol. (Acts 1:15; 2:14) Nomata olsem, olketa samting hia no minim Peter hem leadim firstfala Christian kongregeson.

Aposol Paul sei Peter duim “waka bilong aposol for preach long pipol wea circumcise.” (Galatians 2:8) Bat samting wea Paul talem long olketa nara verse long datfala chapter showimaot Paul no minim Peter nao leadim kongregeson. Paul storyim nomoa waka bilong Peter for preach long olketa Jew.

 Nomata Peter duim samfala important waka, no enitaem long Bible Peter sei hemseleva leadim kongregeson, and Peter no duim eni samting wea showimaot hem tingse hem leadim olketa disaepol. Long leta bilong hem, Peter sei nomoa hem “wanfala aposol” and “wanfala elder.”—1 Peter 1:1; 5:1.

Wanem Nao History Showimaot Abaotem Start Bilong Olketa Pope?

Wanem taem nao church start for garem pope, and hao nao datwan hem start? Long taem olketa aposol laef yet, samfala Christian start for garem tingting for bossim olketa narawan. Bat wanem nao tingting bilong olketa aposol abaotem datkaen tingting?

Aposol Peter talem olketa wea lukaftarem kongregeson for no “bossim olketa pipol bilong God.” Hem sei evriwan long kongregeson mas deal witim olketa narawan long hambol wei. (1 Peter 5:1-5) Aposol Paul talem warning hao samfala insaed long kongregeson bae “talem olketa samting wea no stret for mekem olketa disaepol followim olketa.” (Acts 20:30) Klosap long end bilong first century C.E., aposol John raetem wanfala leta wea talem strongfala kaonsel abaotem wanfala disaepol wea nem bilong hem Diotrephes. Why nao Paul kaonselem hem? Wanfala reason hem bikos datfala man “laek for leader” long kongregeson. (3 John 9) Kaen kaonsel olsem wea olketa aposol talem stopem olketa wea laek bossim olketa narawan long kongregeson for no duim datwan.—2 Thessalonians 2:3-8.

No longtaem bihaen lastfala aposol dae, samfala long kongregeson start for bossim olketa narawan. Disfala buk, The Cambridge History of Christianity sei: “Go kasem midol long mek-tu century, luk olsem no eni bishop long Rome sei hem leader bilong church.” Bat long mek-thri century, wanfala bishop long Rome sei hem leader bilong samfala church. * Samfala raetem daon nem bilong olketa wea changem Peter, for sapotim datfala tingting wea sei olketa bishop long Rome nao changem Peter.

Bat olketa nem wea olketa raetem daon nating sapotim wanem olketa talem. Why nao olsem? First samting, church no savve sapos olketa hia pope bifor or nomoa. Nara samting tu, nomata Peter hem preach long Rome, olsem samfala buk long first and mek-tu century talem, no eni pruv hem stap for showimaot Peter nao hed long kongregeson long Rome.

Wanfala samting wea pruvim Peter no hed long kongregeson long Rome, hem leta wea aposol Paul raetem long olketa Christian long Rome. Long datfala leta, Paul talem nem  bilong staka Christian long Rome, bat hem nating talem nem bilong Peter. (Romans 16:1-23) Sapos Peter hem hed long kongregeson, bae hard for Paul no talem nem bilong hem.

Nara samting tu, taem Peter raetem first leta bilong hem, Paul tu raetem mek-tu leta long Timothy. Long leta wea Paul raetem for Timothy hem storyim Rome, bat hem no storyim Peter. Taem Paul stap long Rome hem raetem sixfala leta, bat no enitaem hem storyim Peter long olketa leta bilong hem.

Samting olsem 30-fala year bihaen Paul raetem olketa leta bilong hem, aposol John raetem thri-fala leta and buk bilong Revelation. Long buk and olketa leta wea hem raetem, John no enitaem storyim kongregeson long Rome hem main important kongregeson. Hem no storyim tu eni man wea leadim church. No eni samting long Bible and no eni samting long history showimaot Peter nao firstfala bishop long kongregeson long Rome.

Waswe, Teaching and Wei Bilong Olketa Pope Showimaot Olketa Changem Peter?

Hem stret for iumi ting long samwan wea hem sei hem “changem Saint Peter” and hem “Vicar bilong Christ” for barava followim wei and teaching bilong Peter and Christ. Tingim diswan. Waswe, Peter laekem olketa nara Christian for mekhae long hem? Nomoa. Hem no letem eniwan for duim eni samting for worshipim hem. (Acts 10:25, 26) Waswe Jesus? Jesus sei hem no kam for olketa narawan mas waka for helpem hem, bat hem kam for hem savve waka for helpem olketa. (Matthew 20:28) Waswe, olketa pope followim wei bilong Jesus, or olketa laekem pipol for mekhae long olketa, garem bignem, and show off long wanem olketa garem and paoa bilong olketa?

Peter and Christ followim wanem Bible talem and tufala helpem pipol for stap gud witim narawan. Bat tingim wanem disfala Catholic encyclopedia Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche (Lexicon for Theology and Church) sei abaotem Pope Leo X. Hem sei: “Leo X no tinghae long waka bilong hem for teachim pipol abaotem God, bat hem tinghae and busy nomoa long olketa samting saed long politik, wantok bisnis, and hapitaem wea ova tumas.” Tingim tu wanem Karl Amon, wanfala priest long Catholic Church and savveman bilong history long church, hem sei abaotem Pope Alexander VI. Hem sei Pope Alexander VI hem “man wea staka taem no honest, hem iusim paoa bilong hem long rong wei, and staka taem hem durong.”

Waswe, wanem olketa pope teachim hem followim wanem Peter and Christ teachim? Peter nating teachim hao evri gud pipol bae go long heven. Peter sei olsem abaotem King David wea hem gudfala king: “David hem no go ap long heven.” (Acts 2:34) Nara samting tu, Peter no teachim pipol for baptaesim olketa smol pikinini. Bat hem teachim hao man mas disaed seleva for baptaes.—1 Peter 3:21.

Jesus teachim olketa disaepol bilong hem for no trae for bossim olketa narawan. Jesus sei: “Sapos eniwan laek for leader, hem mas willing for stap anda long olketa narawan and for kamap wakaman bilong olketa tu.” (Mark 9:35) Bifor Jesus dae, hem sei olsem long olketa disaepol bilong hem: “Iufala mas no letem eniwan kolem iufala Teacher bikos wanfala Teacher nomoa iufala garem, bat iufala evriwan olketa brata. And tu, no kolem eniwan long earth dadi bilong iufala bikos wanfala Dadi nomoa iufala garem and hem stap long heven. No letem eniwan kolem iufala Leader, bikos wanfala Leader nomoa iufala garem, and hem nao Christ.” (Matthew 23:1, 8-10) Long tingting bilong iu, waswe, olketa pope followim wanem Peter and Christ teachim?

Samfala sei pope savve gohed duim waka bilong hem nomata hem no followim wei bilong Christ. Waswe, iu tingse datwan hem stret? Jesus sei: “Evri gudfala tree bae garem gudfala frut, bat evri nogud tree bae garem rabis frut. Gudfala tree no savve garem rabis frut and nogud tree no savve garem gudfala frut.” Long tingting bilong iu, waswe, bae Peter or Christ hapi long wanem olketa pope duim?—Matthew 7:17, 18, 21-23.

[Olketa Footnote]

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Waswe, olketa pope followim wei bilong Peter?