Church Government and the Pope

As I write this article, the Catholic Church has had a new leader for two days. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was chosen to serve, according to the Roman Catholic Church, as the 267th Pope and his chosen named is Pope Leo XIV. We are told that there were no clear “front-runners” to win the papacy, although there were several candidates. There were 133 cardinal electors who voted inside the Sistine Chapel and, in order to win the vote, a candidate must obtain a two-thirds majority vote. For Prevost, it required at least 89 votes. It was one of the shortest conclaves ever, taking only two days to decide the winner. Catholic historians tell us that no conclave has lasted more than four days since 1831. The longest lasting conclave was in the 13th century. It lasted 1,006 days to elect Gregory X - from November, 1268 to September, 1271. We are also told that there were at least three ballots before Prevost was elected. According to the Vatican News website, when casting a ballot each elector says, “I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one whom I believe should be elected according to God.” If there are not enough votes (two-thirds majority) to elect the new pope, the ballots are burned with additives: black smoke if no pope has been elected; white smoke if one has. If no pope has been elected after twenty-one votes, the number of candidates is reduced to two while still requiring a two-thirds majority for election.

Does this sound biblical? Can we turn to the pages of Scripture and find a process whereby a single man, by winning a two-thirds majority vote is “elected” to become the visible leader of Christ’s church on earth? The pope is referred to as the “spiritual Vicar (a representative or substitute for a superior) of Christ” and the “successor of St. Peter.” Do we find this type of structural organization within inspired writ?

The structural organization of the church for which Christ died to establish, as revealed in Scripture, is very simple and non-political. There is no short or long, drawn out process of electing one, singular leader of the world-wide church. There is no twothirds vote necessary. There is no conclave (private meeting) of church leaders from all over the world to select only one individual. “Apostolic succession” is foreign to the word of God. Here is what the Biblical church looks like…

• There is a universal use of the term “church,” such as in Matthew 16:18.

• There is a local use of the term “church,” such as in Paul’s greetings to Corinth (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1).

• There is a use of the word “church” in connection with the assembly of believers (1 Cor. 11:18).

• Paul addressed the church in Philippi as, “...all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Phil. 1:1).

• Paul summoned the “elders of the church” from Ephesus to Miletus (Acts 20:17).

Acts 20:17-38 is an important text on identifying the organization of the church of the Bible. While we are told that Paul called for the “elders of the church,” we also learn that they were the “overseers” and were to “feed” the church of God (Acts 20:28). Notice these terms from the original language...

• Elder (presbuvteroV) - also translated as presbyter in 1 Timothy 4:14.

• Overseer (epivskopoV) - also translated as bishop in 1 Timothy 3:2.

• Pastor (poimhvn) - also translated as shepherd or feed in 1 Peter 5:1-2.

These terms are used interchangeably in the New testament and they all refer to the same work. Not only that, but the qualifications to serve in such a capacity are given in multiple passages (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-16; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). Not just any man can serve in this way in Christ’s church. However, according to various Catholic websites, “any male in good standing with the church could be elected. If he is not a bishop, he must first be ordained. A layman could be chosen” (https://catholicreview.org/on-electing-a-pope-10-frequently-askedquestions-answered/). It should be very obvious to anyone who respects Scripture that the process of “electing” a pope (Bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church) is antibiblical.

What about apostolic succession? “Apostolic succession is the line of bishops stretching back to the apostles” according to catholic.com. That article goes on to reference Second Timothy 2:2 which reads, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” The articles then states “In this passage, he refers to the first three generations of apostolic succession - his own generation, Timothy’s generation, and the generation Timothy will teach” (catholic.com/ tract/apostolic-succession). Also, the account of selecting Matthias (Acts 1:15-26) is used as supposed evidence of the doctrine of apostolic succession. Roman Catholicism acknowledges that women cannot serve as a pope, yet the term “men” in Second Timothy 2:2 is a[nqrwpoV, which is the generic term for humanity. By implication, if you’re going to use that verse as evidence for apostolic succession, a woman could be pope! In regard to Acts 1 and the selection of Matthias, there were specific requirements to be met in order to serve as an apostle. He was to be selected from among that number (Acts 1:21), who were with them from the time of Jesus’ baptism until His ascension (Acts 1:22). No one meets those qualifications today! Apostolic succession is not Biblical, but it has been adopted by man-made traditions throughout Catholic history.

The point of the article is this - while the RCC was busy enacting man-made traditions in order to ordain the supposed 267th pope, Jesus Christ was still on His throne. While the RCC claims that they believe Christ is the head of the church, their actions speak differently. The New Testament pattern of the structural organization of Christ’s church is simple and repeatable. The church of the Bible consists of local, autonomous congregations that were led on a local level by a plurality of bishops and deacons. There was no grand, centralized governing body located in Rome within protective walls. May God’s people remain true to the Scriptures and implement His revealed will in each locale.