The Catholic Church is famous for controversies—from child abuse scandals and accusations of sexual abuse to complaints about its stance on homosexuality and abortion. But one thing the Catholic Church gets right? Choosing popes.
September 20th marks 800 years since the Catholic Church elected its first pope. Though church historians know little about the choice they made that day, historians believe Saint Peter chose the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century friar and patron saint of animals and the environment. In modern times, Francis has assumed an increasingly prominent role within the Church, in his role as an advocate of the less fortunate. Francis is also credited with bringing the Church’s teachings on ecology and social justice into the 21st century.
History of Bishop of Rome
The bishop of Rome is the pope. The term comes from the Greek word Pappas, which means father, and Rome’s bishop is seen as the early church’s father figure due to the connection with St Peter. Peter is said to have been chosen by Jesus to be the rock upon which the church will be built, and he was murdered in Rome. Rome, being the empire’s capital, is also a natural center for the expanding church.
Unlike any other Christian city, Rome can name every bishop in an unbroken line dating back to the first century of the Christian era, as well as St Peter as the first pope. The pope has outstanding credentials, despite not being recognized as such until later centuries.
Many of the first three centuries of Christianity’s history’s popes are forgotten characters. During times of persecution, a number of people die as heroes alongside members of their flock. As the young church flexes its doctrinal muscles, the majority of them are deeply involved in religious debates with other bishops.
During Miltiades’ brief pontificate, he changes to a totally different role (311-314). In 313, he hosted an open council in Rome, at the emperor’s request, in the Lateran Palace. The papacy and temporal authority have begun to form an enduring link.
From Simon to Peter
Who was the first pope? St. Peter was, without a doubt, the first pope of the Catholic Church. We must rely on the evidence of the early church fathers because the church was persecuted by the Roman Empire until A.D. 313 and the official Roman historians were not interested in the activities of the church.
Simon is simply a fisherman in Lake Gennesaret north of Jerusalem before meeting Jesus, who would call him Kephas – “Peter” in Aramaic. Sensitive to the messianic currents that were flowing across Judaism at the time, he visited John the Baptist’s circle before meeting Jesus of Nazareth. He decides to join him and becomes the head of the twelve apostles, abandoning his life as a fisherman and his family. He would have observed all of Jesus’ important acts, miracles, and the Transfiguration throughout his public life. Simon Peter denied Jesus three times when he was arrested, saying he didn’t recognize him. On Easter morning, after the women have passed by, he is the first to discover the empty tomb following the crucifixion.
From Jerusalem to Rome
Peter was the first bishop of Rome, according to the Church, although historians know little about his Roman activities. We know that he was at the head of the Judeo-Christian society in Jerusalem for ten years after receiving the responsibility of “universal pastor” upon Christ’s death, which he entrusted to Jacques in 41 before leaving as a missionary. He made himself the guarantor of the balance between the various Christian groups at the Council of Jerusalem, where the topic was whether or not it was necessary for Christians of pagan origin to observe Jewish customs, particularly circumcision. Peter, on Paul’s advice, chooses not to impose Jewish discipline on new converts.
The first Christian communities
The young Church declares its freedom from Judaism with the arrival of Peter. This autonomy will be highlighted by the geographical transfer of the Church’s center to the Empire’s capital, a sign of the Church’s desire for universality in the future. Pierre was killed in Rome’s circus games in 64, during Nero’s first persecution of Christians. His body was then buried beneath the modern Saint Peter’s Basilica, on the side of a Rome access road.
