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[Grimace]

As a non-Catholic Christian, what do you think of popes? A lot of christians are not catholic, and I was just curious of what you think of the pope? Do you think he has a chair that when he sits in it he can not be wrong in it? Does he have any special meaning to god?
If he's just a dude, then why are catholics wrong to think he is special?

[jimwalton]

He's a man of God (generally speaking), and an ordained minister. He should be respected for his knowledge and for devoting his life to God. Beyond that, he's just another man, just like the rest of us. Catholics think he's special because of Apostolic Succession, which is basically the idea that the pope is the spiritual successor to the first pope, Peter, and thus has the authority to establish canon doctrine in God's name. Protestants don't grant the pope that authority because that's simply too much authority to grant a man, no matter how sincere and devout he may be. Like most Protestants, I believe that God gave us all the knowledge we need to establish doctrine in the form of Scripture. We can use the Bible to hear God's word.

Catholics believe that the establishment of the papacy comes from Matthew 16.18, where Jesus told Peter, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church..." As you might guess, interpretations of the verse vary. Catholics say the rock is Peter, and justify the papacy because of that interpretation. Protestants usually say the "rock" is Peter's affirmation that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and that the verse puts the church on the foundation of Jesus, not Peter. Grammatically it is unlikely that "upon this rock" refers to anything but its nearest antecedent, which is "Peter". By the same token, F.F. Bruce says, "There is nothing in the context of this verse to suggest Rome or the papacy." If we let Scripture interpret Scripture (always a wise course), Christ is the foundation of the church (1 Cor. 3.11), but in another image the prophets and apostles are the foundation and Christ the keystone (Eph. 2.20). In Gal. 2.9, the apostles are pillars, and in 1 Pet. 2.5 we are all, as believers, living stones that are part of the spiritual house. It seems then, that the best understanding might be that Christ is the foundation and the rock on which we stand. Believers' confession of Jesus as Lord is the rock on which the church is built, and the apostles and prophets serve as rocks of foundation on which the revelation of Jesus stands. In turn, each one of us is a rock in the building rising up to glorify the rock of our foundation, in whose likeness, both individually and corporately, we are being made. That's the way I see it but hey, as you said, I'm not Catholic.