The Pope's Role In The Roman Catholic Church

The word “Pope” initially came from the meaning “father”. Jesus Christ had chosen Peter and his successors to be ‘shepherds’, meaning that they would look after and care for the people, like a shepherd would look after his flock. Jesus was seen by Catholics as infallible and some Catholics today still believe that the Popes’ also speak without making mistakes . (My opinion is that, although Jesus was seen to be infallible, all of the Popes are human and are capable of making errors). The Pope is in charge of the Roman Catholic Church. His role includes religious and political duties and to continue to teach what Jesus had come upon the earth to teach thousands of years ago. The Pope plays a major part in the Catholic Church and also the wider community.

The Pope is believed to be the ‘successor to the Apostle Peter’, hence the commencement of what we know as the ‘Pope’ today. As Peter was the ‘Pope’, the role also included being the Bishop of Rome. As Rome was the Capital of the Roman Empire, it made sense that the Bishop would reside in Rome, and become the leader of this religion. All of the other bishops would go to the Pope and ask for advice. When meetings of the bishops were required, they would always be held in Rome. This is because the Pope resided there and also because there was a hall that was able to hold a large amount of people.

The current Pope, Pope Francis, has recently been a part of a very significant event that occurred between Cuba and the United States. Two prisoners being held captive in Cuba were released back to the United States with the Pope’s help. Not only were the prisoners released but there has been an improvement in relations between the two countries. Pope Francis involves himself with all of the leaders of other countries to help find agreements that are good for all of the