Stone & Incense Search
Start hereCurious, or no faithEvangelical, Pentecostal or ProtestantFrom another faithSomeone I love is CatholicBecoming CatholicI was Catholic once Today in the ChurchLibraryHard questionsVoices of the revivalTake the next stepAboutSources & methodSupport the site
Evangelical, Pentecostal or ProtestantStep 5 of 8

Peter and the pope

Jesus gave one man keys. Why?

Start here

Watch this first

Why Catholics Have a Pope · Ascension Presents

Give it 13 minutes, then come back and we’ll walk through it together.

Video: Why Catholics Have a Pope, Ascension Presents, published Jul 10, 2019. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube

Jesus gave Peter the keys and told him to feed His sheep.12 The Church teaches this office continues in the bishop of Rome, with infallibility limited to definitive teaching on faith and morals.34

Watch first Or start reading1 min read
Christ’s Charge to Peter, by Raphael: Christ points to a flock of sheep as Peter kneels holding the keys.

Raphael, Christ’s Charge to Peter, tapestry cartoon, 1515–1516. Royal Collection, on loan to the V&A, London. Public domain, source.

Journeys / Evangelical, Pentecostal or Protestant / Step 5 of 8

On this page

Quick answers to related questions

Keep reading

All 8 steps in Evangelical, Pentecostal or Protestant You’re on step 5
  1. 1. What we share
  2. 2. The Bible and Tradition
  3. 3. Faith and works
  4. 4. The Lord’s Supper
  5. 5. Peter and the pope
  6. 6. Mary: honored, not worshiped
  7. 7. The saints, and asking for prayers
  8. 8. Coffee and next steps

By the Sea of Galilee, after breakfast

Three times Peter says yes. Three times Jesus says: feed My sheep.2

Earlier He told Peter: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.1

Keys aren’t decoration. In Scripture, they mean authority over the house.

01Common ground

Peter was first

Scripture

“I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

Matthew 16:185

“Assembly” translates the Greek ekklesia, the New Testament’s word for “church.”

Jesus prays that Peter’s faith won’t fail, and tells him to strengthen his brothers.6

Fine for Peter. Why a pope now?

02The real disagreement

An office, not just a man

Church teachingDisputed question

The Church teaches that Jesus made Simon alone the rock of His Church, and that this pastoral office continues in the bishop of Rome.37

Infallibility is narrow: it applies when the pope, as pastor of all the faithful, definitively proclaims a teaching on faith or morals.4

It doesn’t mean he never sins, or that every opinion he has is right. Peter himself needed correcting.

Your reading: Peter was a leader, with no successors. The Catholic reading: Jesus built a lasting office for the unity of His Church.

But some popes were terrible.

03Honest history

Yes, some were

History

Some popes were scandalous. The Church holds that it is holy and full of sinners at the same time.8

Peter himself denied Jesus. The office was never a reward for being perfect. It’s a job: hold the family together.

Next: Mary.

Your move

Try this, this week

  1. Read Matthew 16:13-19.
  2. Read Isaiah 22:20-22. Another set of keys, another steward.
  3. Read the Case page on whether the papacy was invented later.

You’ll need

  • A Bible.
  • Ten minutes.

Remember Keys mean authority over the house.

If this is hard

If the papacy is your biggest obstacle, you’re in good company. Read the Case page, then talk to a priest about it. Good priests like this question.

How to talk to a priest

Only one thing to do

Your one next step

Watch the video, then read the Case page on the early papacy.

Was the papacy invented later?

Step 5 of 8 · Evangelical, Pentecostal or Protestant

Next: Mary.

Step 6: Mary: honored, not worshiped
Back to all steps

Take it with you

Printable one-page cardDownload card (A4 PDF)Download card (US Letter PDF)

Short link: stoneandincense.com/go/cg5

Your real next step

This page can’t give you the sacraments. A parish can.

We’re just pointing. People walk with you. Find a Catholic parish near you, go to a Mass, or just ask a priest for ten minutes. You don’t need to have it figured out.

Take the next step What to say when you call

Notes

How we know · 8 sources for this page
  1. Matthew 16:19, World English Bible. read the chapter
  2. John 21:17, World English Bible. read the chapter
  3. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 881. vatican.va
  4. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 891. vatican.va
  5. Matthew 16:18, World English Bible. read the chapter
  6. Luke 22:32, World English Bible. read the chapter
  7. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 882. vatican.va
  8. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 827. vatican.va

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America Copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with Permission. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops – Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Scripture: World English Bible, Catholic edition (public domain), modern verse numbers; Douay-Rheims numbers in brackets where they differ. Early Christian writers: Ante-Nicene Fathers (1885, public domain). Video: “Why Catholics Have a Pope,” Ascension Presents, supporting material, not a teaching source.

Scenes marked “Imagine” are an invitation to picture the moment, not a historical record. Stone & Incense restates Church teaching in plain words; our wording is not an official Church text. Report an errorCorrections.