 The Bishop of Rome’s authority today is rooted in a belief that
the Apostle Peter was the first Bishop of Rome. Subsequently, quoting Math 16:13-19, the Roman Church held to the interpretation that Peter was “the rock” mentioned in this passage, and therefore administered the keys of the kingdom of heaven from Rome. This doctrine is incompatible with what most Protestant Churches today believe as being the true interpretation of Math 16. That is: the ‘rock’ that Jesus referred was the revelation of the true identity of Jesus Christ the Son, (which the Father had blessed Peter with), upon which, the Church of Jesus Christ would be built. The identity of Jesus Christ has proven contentious since His birth and has remained the root of most heresy and error throughout church history. The Church of Rome, from a very early time, claimed the ministries of both Peter and Paul. It is noteworthy, however, that the first lists of Roman bishops were not written up for 100 years after the Nero persecution of 64AD, during which time Peter was martyred. There is no conclusive evidence, scripturally, historically or chronologically, that Peter was in fact the Bishop of Rome. In fact, for the Papacy to reject the claim that Peter was the first Roman bishop would have meant a collapse of its authority and office, and possibly the Catholic Church itself. Ignatius’s writings in 115AD referring to all bishops, stated that “respect to the bishop and observance to whatever he approved, was to obey and please God himself ... just as the Lord Jesus Christ followed the Father”. Bishops (elders) were therefore initially highly respected and esteemed within the church for men to observe and heed as an example, just as the writer to the Hebrew Church encouraged (Heb 13:7). But did Peter ever hold the office of the Roman bishopric? Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (178-200) was the first to list a line of bishops in Rome. Linus appears first on the list with no mention of Peter. Neither did Eusebius, father of early church history, ever mention Peter as a bishop of Rome, but only that he came to Rome “about the end of his days”. Also consider that Paul greeted various people when writing his epistle to the Roman Church, but never mentions Peter. Neither did any of the Church fathers. Nineteenth Century Catholic historian J H Ignaz von Dollinger states “… of all the fathers who interpret the passage [Mat 16:18] not a single one applies them to the Roman bishops as Peters successors … not one of them has dropped a faintest hint that the primacy of Rome is the consequence of the commission to Peter … not Origen, Chrysostom, Hilary, Augustine Cyril or Theodoret”. The claim of an unbroken line of popes dating back to Peter is fiction. The Roman Catholic Church cannot verify with any accuracy any such list. This is even acknowledged by the New Catholic Encyclopedia (1967 volume 1, pg 632) when it stated “… it must be admitted that bias or deficiencies in the sources make it impossible to determine in certain cases whether claimants were popes or antipopes”. Despite this, the Catholic Church today claims 263 popes all succeeding the chair of the Apostle Peter. New Dogmas and doctrines Early on, the Roman Church certainly looked to the Roman Patriarch (senior bishop of the area) for leadership in doctrinal matters during the age of Catholic Christianity. During the persecutions, events began to present opportunity for primacy when a debate arose over those who had committed adultery. The bishop of Rome, Callistus (217-222) was the first to accept penitent adulterers as a matter of Church policy. What was particularly dissonant was he defended his actions by insisting “the Church of Rome was the heir of Peter to whom the Lord had given the keys to bind and loose the sins of men”. This marked the first time a bishop claimed the authority to forgive sins based upon an avant-garde interpretation of Math 16. In 250AD, under the rule of Emperor Decius, Christians encountered persecution. All citizens had to sacrifice to traditional Roman gods to earn a certificate to authenticate their ‘good citizenship’. Decius ordered the torture of Christians until they denied Christ. Many submitted to the order, and many were martyred. The persecution ended in 251, however the question of re-admittance to the Church for those who had lapsed created division. This was because the awe of those martyred was enormous, but also Cornelius (bishop of Rome 251-253) had recently introduced the provision of penance for those who had denied Christ during torture. Despite the belief of many (including Tertullian) that re-admittance for those who had denied Christ was forbidden, some claimed that martyrs had obtained special power from God (merits), and could therefore cover the sins (or demerits) of the lapsed (the sinner). The acceptance of a dogma called The Treasury of Merits of Grace, which was later to be formalized under Gregory toward the latter end of the sixth century. However Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, rejected the idea for one of a system of ‘readmission based on degrees of sin’. Only after various degrees of sorrow (penance), and coming before the congregation in sackcloth and ashes, did the lapsed receive the bishop’s hand laid upon his head signifying forgiveness and acceptance back into the Church. This sacrament called ‘penance’, Cornelius used to extend forgiveness to all that had sinned during the Decius persecution. The idea was largely accepted. From this time, and subject to the acceptable work of penance, it was the bishop who solely administered or withheld God’s forgiveness, and thereby the rejection or restoration of the lapsed.  The Roman See however, never pursued its claim of primacy until
the age of the Roman Christian Empire in the fourth century.Politically, from 330AD the power slowly shifted to Constantinople (Istanbul today) under Constantine’s rule, yet much of the West emotionally still looked to Rome as their capital. In 366 a significant development occurred when Damasus (picture) was elected as Rome’s new Bishop (no Popes at this stage). His rivals, however, who rejected his placement on the account that he didn’t appear to oppose the threatening Arian heresy, voted Ursinus to sit in his stead. A battle between Damasus’s followers and those of Ursinus ensued. Damasus appealed to Juventius, the Prefect of Rome, for help. The Prefect ordered Ursinus to leave Rome. Ursinus left, however his followers refused and instead barricaded themselves inside the Roman church. Damasus sent in his troops which left all of Ursinus’s faithful 137 followers dead. Damasus, taking his kingdom by force became the uncontested bishop of Rome. Fifteen years later in 381AD, Theodosius called a Council at Constantinople during which he declared “The Bishop of Constantinople would be pre-eminent after Rome”. As a result of this, a power play between the two sees eventuated. At that time there were four ruling Patriarchs, one governing in each of Rome, Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria, with Jerusalem as an honory primacy. In time, the ever present dissension between the Bishop of Rome and the Eastern Church was to see an eventual split in 1054. In 382AD Damasus, (perhaps in response) claimed pre-eminence over all the other Bishops/Patriarchs including that of Constantinople. By Damasus’ own council, the Roman Patriarch declared “preeminence and primacy of the Roman Church above all other sees”. This was not based upon any synod or Church council, but by his interpretation of Math 16 again claiming the primacy of Peter. Pope Damasus attempted to reclaim the spiritual authority, in reaction Rome having previously lost its political authority under the Emperorship of Constantine and Theodosius who ruled from Constantinople. Damasus was active in suppressing the Arian and Donatist schism in Antioch and North Africa. (Donatists were an African Christian group of the 4th and 5th century, who protested against any lessening of the reverence toward martyrs and treated those fallen harshly. Donatists even re-baptised Catholic Church converts signifying the contempt they held toward the Roman See. It is noteworthy that it was also Damasus, in 382AD, who commissioned Jerome to prepare the New Latin Text of the bible known as the Vulgate Bible, which was used for centuries in the Western Church. In 410AD for the first time in 620 years, the Visigoths lead by Alaric sacked Rome. However, he preserved the churches and distributed all the church treasures to St Paul’s and St Stephens claiming he was himself a Christian (although Arian). The destruction of Rome left many in the empire looking to the Church, namely Augustine of Hippo (Algeria), for answers. Pressures of the time were mounting and threatened the political and spiritual significance of the then called “Eternal city” (which was by now the largest and wealthiest church). The Eternal City, a name God attributed solely to Jerusalem had by now been presumed upon Rome with the belief that the Catholic Church had replaced the Jews as Gods favored. By the end of the fourth century the bishops of Rome were using the title of papa (father) to address the Roman Patriarch, which eventually became the English word “Pope”. The Pope  A significant exaltation of the Bishop of Rome’s authority and
office came during the rule of Leo I, the Great (picture) who
was the Bishop of Rome between 440-461. In 440, Leo was announced “Pope” in formal ceremony. Therefore Pope Leo was the first “Pope” in the true sense of exhibiting supreme papal authority. He extended Damasus’s claims by proclaiming “the glory of the blessed Apostle Peter...in whose chair his power lives on and his authority shines forth". The ‘dynasty of Peter’ hereby, was established. Through his doctrinal beliefs and governmental abilities, Leo significantly bolstered the Roman Church’s stability and unity. It was said of Leo, “he was a nobleman by reason of his abilities”. Pope Leo was instrumental in defeating the Eutychus doctrine (which claimed that Jesus’ humanity was absorbed by the divine and so didn’t suffer in all points as a human). He went on to formulate an exposition, known as Leo’s Tome, on Christ’s two natures. This was the basis for the Council of Chalcedon (451) to finally establish doctrines surrounding the Trinity. Such was Leo’s impact that according to tradition, after Leo had finished his decree, the 630 bishops and 4 papal legates present, exclaimed unanimously, "What Leo believes we all believe, anathema to him who believes anything else. Peter has spoken through the mouth of Leo." While this was accepted at the Council of Chalcedon (that Peter was speaking through Leo), it was also agreed that equal status was to be given to the Constantinople see. Leo’s representative naturally protested this. As a result, from this time, the Latin Roman Church of the West and the Greek Eastern Orthodox Church began to head in different directions. However, Leo’s Papacy faced two further immense problems. 1. The rapid political disintegration of the Roman Western Empire. 2. The emergence of competing heresies. It was during Leo’s reign that the empire’s security again came under threat, and the Emperor looked to the Papal authority to ‘keep the unity’. Previously the Goths and Visigoths had greatly reduced the power and influence of the emperor. The only person left who retained any significant power and influence in the Western Roman Empire was “Pope Leo”. In 452AD Attila the Hun, from central Asia (Russia), arrived at the gates of Rome battle weary and diseased after plundering 100 cities (which included those of the unopposed East). Previously, Rome had been forced to pay as much as 2100 pounds of gold per year to evade invasion from “the scourge of God”, but now Attila wanted it all, particularly Rome. Leo, in the name of the Emperor, succeeded in negotiating with Attila, and turned the threat of the invasion. As a result, Leo secured more respect from the people because, of all invaders, Attila’s Barbarian warriors were the most feared for their absolute disregard for life and suffering. Leo’s victory, in this sense, increased his respect and further elevated his Papal authority. Only three years later, in 455AD the Vandals, under the leadership of Gaiseric, arrived at Rome in 100 ships after sacking Augustine’s Hippo and destroying the Christian Church in North Africa. The Emperor’s troops mutinied and killed the Emperor, and the people of Rome again went into panic. Once more, Leo went to the gate and pleaded for mercy and restraint from destroying the buildings and killing the people. His plea was heeded. Whilst the Vandals looted for 14 days, Leo had again succeeded in the peoples eyes. The Vandals took the furniture and regalia to the South of France, including, it is believed, that which Titus had previously stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem in 70AD. Rome was not to be humiliated again for over 1000 years, until King Charles V renegade soldiers stormed it in 1527 and imprisoned the Pope for six months, accusing him of disloyalty and treachery. Conveniently, just when Martin Luther needed reprieve from papal pressure. Leo, having consolidated his Papal authority, ‘demanded’ allegiance from all the other Bishops (as have all his successors thereafter). This was enforced to the extent that the “Church” was now to be called the “Roman” Catholic Church. From this time, it began to formulate its doctrines and rulership more aggressively and authoritatively. The Catholic dogma asserting the bishop of Rome’s authority over all other bishops stands today, and is called “The Petrine Supremacy”.  In the early Middle Ages, Pope Gregory I, the Great (picture)
590-604, after resurrecting the Roman Catholic Church from the
perils of the Black Plague, and preventing the invasion of the Lombards into Rome, built upon Damasus’ and Leo’s work,
extending the Papacy’s spiritual hold into a powerful political
force. He cemented the Papal office as the common people’s
legislator.Gregory also dramatically changed the course of the Western Church when he added to Augustine’s dogmas and many unscriptural tenets of his own (most of which stemmed from his monastic experience). He affirmed the dogmas of Penance, Meritorious works, Intercession to the saints, the cults of relics, Purgatory, Masses for the dead, and the Sacrificial Eucharist for sin. In the eighth century, an official looking document (The Donation of Constantine) appeared in Western Europe. It claimed that in the fourth century, Constantine gave the Bishop of Rome supreme authority over all Europe, even above the Emperors. It gave the Roman Bishop the Emperors Palace, and moved the capital to Constantinople so not to interfere with the imperial rights of the Bishops’ rule. The Donation of Constantine was found to be fraudulent in 1440 by Lorenzo Valla, a papal aid, and is accepted as such by historians, albeit through it the papacy became extremely wealthy. Celibacy and Prostitution. From 867 to 1049 the Papacy degenerated. More than 40 people occupied the Papal throne and its demand for allegiance was in tatters. As various noblemen seized church positions for their sons or relatives, organized Christendom became infested with corrupt, immoral bishops and popes who knew no theology. Several Popes were assassinated by their successors. Some had mistresses, and one fathered ten illegitimate children (Alexander VI). Prostitution, incest, murders, fornications, greed, and bastards dominated many papal thrones and its clergy for some time. Pope Pius II (1458-64) himself the father of two illegitimate children by different woman (one of whom was married), said “Rome is the only city run by bastards”. Previous bastard popes included Boniface I (418-22), Gelasius (492-6), Agapitus (535-6) and Theodore (642-9). St Boniface around 750 wrote to Pope Zachary stating “Young men who spent their youth in rape and adultery are rising in the ranks of the clergy. After spending the nights in bed with four or five woman they are rising to celebrate mass in the morning”. Bishop Rathurio protested if he was to exclude unchaste priests, and bastard boys there would be no one to administer the sacraments. -Woman Rides the Beast, Dave Hunt pp 165. In 955 Pope John XII was the first to change his name. He also used pilgrims’ donations to pay off his gambling debts, and turned the Lateran Cathedral into a brothel. His reign was so corrupt that some monasteries were praying for his death. Theodora, a wife of a powerful Roman senator, and Marozia the mistress of Pope Sergius III (mother and daughter) manipulated who would be the next [God appointed] successor to Peters chair. Six popes were elevated to the papal throne by mistresses including popes Anastasius III (911-13) and Lando (913-14). “The bastard son, the grandson, the great grandson of Marozia were all seated in the chair of St Peter”. – Historian Edward Gibbon 1830. Pope John XII (955-63) was obsessed with illicit sex so much so, despite having a collection of mistresses, it was said it was unsafe for any girl to come into St Peters. Whilst celibacy was strictly enforced, prostitution on the other hand was generally overlooked. It was said “Rome had more harlots than any other city by reason of the number of celibates”. “The history of celibacy makes for reading so black … Ivo of Chartres (1040-1115) tells of whole convents with inmates who were nuns in name only … but were really prostitutes”. – Peter de Rosa, Vicars of Christ. A movement to reform corrupt Benedictine monasteries began in Cluny, France in 910. It condemned simony (the buying and selling of church offices), and nepotism (the appointing of relatives to church offices), urged the enforcement of celibacy for clergy, demanded the State relinquish all control over the Church, and that all monks be subjected to Papal authority. By 950, this movement became a new monastic order, called the Cluniac Order. Pope Leo IX (1049-1054) finally addressed Papal corruption in 1049 implementing Papal reforms and emphasised the return to Papal authority as the key to restore Church order. In 1080AD, Pope Gregory VII (Hilderbrand) restored the Papacy as ‘supreme over Kings and State’ when the king of the day (Henry IX) was excommunicated, that is, until he paid his penance standing in snow and fearing for his life. Eventually, the King submissively returned to the Pope’s heavenly fold. In 1059 the Roman people lost their right to elect Popes. The decision went to church leaders called cardinals, who implemented an electoral meeting called the College of Cardinals. Today, the Cardinals still elect new Popes. The Blood. From being persecuted, the Church under Rome became the persecutor, murdering millions of its subjects over a one thousand year period. In particular Christians and Jews refusing to submit to papal heresy and evil became the favored target. Nearly 400 years before any Inquisition, however, subjects began to feel the pain of papal rule. Whilst St Augustine encouraged conformity by force, Pope Nicholas I (858-67) initiated a new level of enforcement in his letter to the King of Bulgaria, a new convert. Nicholas wrote “I glorify you for … putting to death those wandering sheep who refuse the enter the fold … a king need not fear to command massacres, when these will retain his subjects in obedience, or cause them to submit to the faith of Christ; and God will reward him in this world, and in eternal life, for these murders” – Cormenin: History of the Popes p 243.  The Papacy was subsequently strengthened and reached its corrupt
and murderous zenith when Pope Innocent III (1118-1216) became
the most powerful person, secular or religious, in European
society and who shed more blood than any other pope. Innocent
III (picture), through implementing Gregory’s dogmas, controlled
the State, the Kings, Christians rich or poor, alive or dead. He
became the over-lord of Christian Spain, Scandinavia, Hungary,
and all of the Latin East. Whilst Philip II of France remained independent of Innocent politically, on the issue of Philip's divorce Innocent forced even him to bow to canon law. Innocent declared “Every cleric must obey the Pope, even if he commands what is evil, for no man may judge the pope”. It was Innocent III who commissioned a crusade of extermination against the Albigenses (a sect who preached against the corrupt and immoral clergy). Town after town tens of thousands of inhabitants were brutally murdered with no leniency toward age or sex. Will Durant, author of The story of Civilization, writes: “Roman Catholicism became the most persecuting faith the world has ever seen … Innocent III murdered far more Christians in one afternoon … than any Roman emperor did in his entire reign.” The Papacy went on to exercise lordship over all of Europe’s nations through ‘interdicts’ - the ceasing of public worship and access to the sacraments, thereby controlling that nations flow of grace and salvation. Most princes had no option but to acknowledge the pope as their feudal lord. The Papacy threatened 85 interdicts in total upon regions throughout Europe who dared not to conform to its authority. The threat of excommunication on the other hand, was used successfully to control the general populace. Upon receiving excommunication, the funeral bell tolled, the book was shut and the candle extinguished. Any people finding themselves out of favor could not do business, obtain council, or acquire a proper burial. In fact, when they died their bodies were left on a dumpsite. Over the next 800 years, the Papacy continued to establish its dogmas and conditions for the “dispensing of grace and salvation” within its church and European society. Much was enforced to militate against perceived threats from heretics, later the rise of Protestantism, and even toward its own clergy. The spirit of the papacy, however, was not about to abdicate its rule and primacy, neither its traditions, for any contemporary critique. In fact, submission to its rule was all the more vehemently enforced. During the reign of Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241), bishops were required to take an ‘oath of obedience’ to the Pope. In 1299 Pope Boniface VIII re-affirmed the necessity for ‘allegiance’, and declared “it is altogether necessary to salvation for every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontif” (using Thomas Aquinas’s thesis, which was used to formulate the Canon Law).  The Papacy began threatening the excommunication of Philip (the
fair) of France who was taxing the clergy for funds to maintain
his 100yr fight against Edward I. Within three years of the
threat, in Sept 1303, the French broke into Pope Bonniface’s
summer retreat and brutally assaulted him. He died a month later
aged 86. Having disclaimed Bonniface's election, they set up their own Papacy in 1305 in Avignon with the appointment of Pope Clement V. This marked the advent of the ‘Papal Babylonian Captivity’ (also called The Papal Schism). Following Clement V, six successive popes all resided in Avignon (by choice) as opposed to Rome. This alone shocked much of Europe (especially Italy) seeing the “Roman Seat of St Peter” vacant. Additionally, Philip created friction between himself and Italy when he claimed Jesus Christ gave no temporal power to the Roman Church and thereby instigated separation between them and himself (the French State). The French king used the Papacy to make money (at the disgust and resistance of the Germans). In response to the Germans condemnation of Avignon, Germany was threatened with an interdict. By 1360 people were crying out in protest against the French domination insisting the papal rule return to Rome. Under pressure, in 1377 it returned with Pope Gregory XI. The Papacy went from bad to worse when the Pope that succeeded Gregory (Urban VI) created such mayhem it forced the cardinals to commit mutiny in electing another pope who in turn, again returned the Papacy to Avignon. The two Popes, Clement in France and Urban in Italy, excommunicated each other (each having their own College of Cardinals). In 1409 the majority of cardinals decided to over-rule the law that stated the pope was the only person to call a general council, which enabled them to elect another Pope (Alexander V) intending him to take the place of the other two. Soon all three were saying their opponents were out of order, and one even called a Crusade against another. At the council of Worms in 1417 (where they had two years earlier burnt John Huss at the stake), they elected a concurrent fourth Pope, Martin V (who immediately disposed of the Council’s authority). In 1420 Pope Martin V (Pope 1417-1431) effectively ended the Papal Schism, and returned the papacy to Rome. The Renaissance saw the papal office esteem great works of art and sculpture. During this time, the papacy was said to have “traded spirituality for splendor and faith for money”. It became corrupt with lust and greed to the extent it made even the populace grimace with disgust. Pope Sixtus IV (pope 1471–1484) approved the Spanish inquisition and instituted “the feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception”. The iniquity continued with the nephew of Sixtus IV, Pope Julius II, who rode in full armor with his army, and ordered the assassination of other contending rulers. From 1200 to 1500 the severity of cruelty and policy during the Inquisitions in the name of deterring heresy continued almost unabated. According to R.W. Thompson in The Papacy and Civil Power (pg82), Canon Llorente, who was secretary to the inquisition in Madrid from 1790-92 and who had access to the archives of all the tribunals, estimated the number of condemned in Spain alone exceeded 3 million, of whom about 300,000 were burned at the stake. The Papacy held Europe in the grip of both the Medieval and Spanish inquisitions until its final suppression in 1809. As late as 1808 when Napoleon conquered Spain, his Colonel Lemanouski reported upon his arrival at the Madrid monastery, that the Dominicans denied existence of any torture chambers. However, under the floors were found chambers full with naked prisoners, all insane. The French troops, obviously use to cruelty and blood, could not stomach the site and blew the monastery up. – De Rosa In 1545-63 the Council of Trent was convened (largely dominated by Jesuits defensive against the rise of Protestantism) and erected a doctrinal fortress against the Protestant Reformation with more than 100 anathemas, reaffirmed the validity of indulgences in reaction to Luther’s attack, and published its Index of Forbidden Books. Mary  1854 saw a change of ominous proportions, when during the Age of
Progress, Pope Pius IX (picture) altered the course of both
Roman Catholic theology, and spirituality. It was then when he
wrote Ineffabillis Deus, which for the first time, formalized
the extra-biblical dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary,
but also added she was born without original sin. In 1863 he enforced this claim, declaring “the basis of being a Roman Catholic became conditional upon the acceptance of this belief” and “salvation was only in the Roman Catholic Church”. Albeit the veneration of Mary was nothing new. At Ephesus, the Apostle Paul confronted the followers of Diana “whom the whole world worshiped” (Acts 19:27). At this time, it was Dianna who was venerated as the “Queen of Heaven”. In 249AD Emperor Decius (Emperor 201-251) persecuted Christians and made “Caesar worship” law because many of the pagan temples (no doubt including those of Diana) were being emptied due to Christian converts. In the 5th Century a significant development occurred. Diana at this point owned the title “The Mother of God”. Church leaders, in an attempt to combat the challenge Diana posed (now for over two centuries), affirmed Mary as "the Mother of God". Nestorius, at the Council of Ephesus in 431AD, spoke out against Mary being elevated to this title preferring the term “Mother of Christ” because he considered it to be more in line with scripture, and perhaps because he may have seen the danger of elevating Jesus’ mother to idol status. However, because Nestorius stumbled over doctrines surrounding the identity of Christ’s two natures in one person his movement, along with his concerns over Mary’s title, were cast aside as heretical. Subsequently, Mary was affirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 as “The Mother of God”.  Almost immediately, many of the goddess's titles were declared
as the titles of Mary, eg. "Queen of Heaven", "Divine Virgin",
“Perpetual Virgin goddess”, “mother of all” etc. It is the belief of some biblical scholars that the pagan spirit of Diana simply relocated her throne and entered the Catholic Church in Mary. While scripture teaches that Mary had children after Jesus, Mary was now venerated as being “the mother of many children”. However since Catholic belief claims that Jesus was the only child born of Mary’s womb, her children relate to those that deify her, come under her authority, and pray to her. The Statue of Mary, often sited with her palms outstretched (toward her children’), is of exact replication to that of the goddess statue of Diana (picture). Diana too, boasted “the mother of many children”, and “without spouse”. In 1864 Pius IX (1846-78) went on to condemn the toleration of other religions, Bible Societies, and non-Catholic schools. Five years later, in 1869-1870 at the first Vatican Council (Vatican I), Pius IX claimed Papal infallibility. The concept of papal infallibility had been presented earlier in 1331during the rule of Pope John XXII. He rejected the concept as being heretical. Pius IX declared that “Christ set Peter over the other Apostles.... and that the Roman Pontiff possesses the primacy over the whole world ... is the Head of the whole Church … father and teacher of all Christians ... and that full power was given to him in Peter to feed, rule, and govern”. The council emphasized that all were to submit to this doctrine...”from which no one can deviate without the loss of faith and salvation.” Pius’s influence not only plummeted Catholicism into an abyss of further extra-biblical deception, but joined itself to the company of heretics and idolaters it once vehemently defended Europe from. Vatican I Pius opened Vatican I on Dec 8 1869 one year before the fall of papal Rome with an agenda of pushing the heretical dogma of papal infallibility, despite the known opposition amongst the majority of bishops and lay members. However with the aid of pressure groups, the Jesuits and the Curia, bishops were threatened into submission. According to a letter sent to Great Britain’s prime minister by Lord Acton, “bishops will be unpleasantly surprised to find themselves forced into sanction something that wished to actually condemn”. Swiss Historian August Bernhard Hasler, prior to authoring How the Pope became Infallible, was for five years the Vatican secretariat and had access to the Vatican secret archives. He was so disturbed by the “manipulation of the Council” that he went public. He died what some described as an untimely death soon afterward. Interestingly, the aggression of Vatican I, and Pius’s aberrations, occurred soon after the French revolutionists rejected the Papal rule and turned many churches into “Temples of Reason”, and ‘deified’ a French prostitute at Notre Dame as “the goddess of Reason”. Around 8000 Italians were subjected to papal jails because they began speaking against Pius’s papal corruption and evil. The English ambassador called the jails of Pius that held captives chained to the walls “the opprobrium of Europe”. After more than 1000 years, the populace of Italy turned their nationalist hatred of monarchal and clergy rule against the Papal States, which they eventually dismantled. The Pope’s earthly reign came under threat for the first time since Leo bargained with Attila; and Gregory, the Lombards. The King of Italy (Victor Emmanuel) moved to Rome, and Pope Pius withdrew into the Vatican. The Papacy refused to accept what modern civilisation offered, published the Syllabus of Errors (80 evils of modern society), and recoiled back to the safety of its Medieval tradition. Since Vatican I, the Papacy’s influence in Europe has declined. Fifty nine years later, in 1929, the Italian government under Benito Mussolini, created Vatican City as a sovereign state with the Pope, as its ruler.  Pope Pius XII (photo) in 1950 added to the idea of “Mary’s
Immaculate Conception”, and her being “born without sin”, by
proclaiming “the bodily assumption of Mary to heaven after her
death”. With Pius XII, the Roman Catholic Church insisted that Mary had an immaculate conception (not conceived in sin [Ps51.5] therefore of divine origin), and thereby born without sin (did not inherit the fallen Adamic nature), and was also bodily resurrected to heaven without burial (did not see corruption [Ps 16.10). In 1954 Pius cemented her idol status by formally declaring Mary as the “Queen of Heaven.” He had also earlier supported Hitler during the war. When signing the Concordant between the Vatican and the Third Reich on July 20 1933 in the presence of his legal adviser Hans Frank, it was Pius who affirmed Hitler. In this meeting Hitler stated when discussing why the Jews shouted ‘his blood be upon us and upon our children’s children, “Perhaps I have to fulfill this curse”. With this in mind, one might understand when, in his book Mein Kampf, Hitler wrote “in defending myself against the Jews, I believe I am doing the work of the Lord”, all without protest from Pius. In 1958 Pius XII defended the concepts of the ‘formulations of tradition’, by declaring them “of greater importance than Scripture and the Church fathers”. Pius XII was said to be the last of the backward-looking Popes who resisted change from medieval concepts, however, much of his and previous papal error has never been formally renounced. In October 1958, Pope John XXIII revealed his plan to convoke a council to change the enduring medieval way. He declared that “the Church must rule with the medicine of mercy rather than with severity”. For the first time in the 1500 year old practice of “enforcing demands to further the work of salvation”, the Papacy was beginning to heed the protests coming from within its own ranks and forsake Augustine’s wisdom of enforcement. Vatican II The second Vatican Council (Vatican II), held in 1962-65, also termed “The twenty-first Ecumenical Church Council”, marked the end of the Counter Reformation (the Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation). It represented a change from the eighteen year long Council of Trent (1545-1563), and the defensive mood of Vatican I. It was called to meet the impact of the technological age and its emphasis on materialism, and weakened spiritual values. Vatican II was the first council not called to combat heresy, pronounce new dogmas, or marshal the Church to battle. It was here where the R.C.C finally revised Catholic policy concerning the Jews legitimacy to continue as a religion, and exonerated them for the murder of Christ. It also saw the Roman Catholic Church’s attempt to combat Protestant growth and the Pentecostal movement. Pope John XXIII died during Council and was replaced by Pope Paul XI. Vatican II drew two main groups of Bishops, conservative and progressive. The conservatives generally belonged to the ‘Curia’ (the Curia is the administrative body in Rome that exerts vast influence, not only on global Catholicism, but also on the Pope). The two groups clashed during the four meetings, which stretched over three years, concerning the following points. 1. The source of revelation; was it to be scripture, tradition, or both 2. The belief of “the primacy and infallibility of the Pope”. 3. The right to freedom of conscience. It renounced the assumption, that the Church/State held the right to “enforce its religious demands and to further the work of salvation”. 4. The life and ministry of priests, and missionary work. 5. Through the decree of Ecumenism, heretics were now to be referred to as ‘separated brethren’ in an attempt to re-gather non-Catholics so that “there may be one visible Church of God, a Church truly universal and sent forth to the whole world”. The most contentious debate was that of the infallibility of the Pope. The work of the Council upheld the 1500-year old concept of Papal Primacy and the Vatican I dogma of Papal Infallibility. Actually, it went further and affirmed the subordination of the people to the teaching of the Pope...even when he spoke informally. Despite debate, the Council took pains to safeguard his absolute authority. However, many Catholics considered the authoritarian structure unacceptable and demonstrated publicly, including church sit-ins, but it was to no avail. The mystical dogma of Mary was also to remain unchanged.  Whilst Vatican II sought to emphasis Mary as
“a fellow member of
the Church and not some kind of semi-divine being exalted above
the Church”, nevertheless she was to be venerated above all the
saints. She was again affirmed as being entirely holy, and free
from sin at conception (Immaculate Conception) as outlined in
1854 by Pope Pius IX. Accordingly, from this time especially, devotions made unto Mary, mother of God, the Queen of heaven, were encouraged. Over the following ten years, significant changes became evident. Whilst the Roman Catholic Church retained many of its traditions, many were discarded. For example, having been taught that the Mass was an unchangeable ceremony and had originated with Christ himself, many Catholics were not prepared for the change. The alter was brought forward, the priests now faced the people and spoke in the common tongue (not Latin). Additionally, worshipers were allowed to greet each other instead of stoically maintaining a prayerful attitude.  In 1968 Pope Paul VI (photo) tested the Council’s decision to
retain its dogma of Papal primacy. He presented a Bull banning
artificial contraception (despite the church committee reviewing
its birth control commission’s recommendations, and stating
contraception was permissible and indeed preferred). Divorce and abortion was also condemned, and clergy celibacy was again affirmed. Between 1966 and 1972, nearly 8,000 priests in America alone left the ministry. John Paul II (1920-2005) ascended the papal throne in 1978. His 26-year leadership of the Roman Catholic Church was the third longest in history and was the first non-Italian pope in over 400 years. During his papacy, he visited 120 nations. He died on 2 April 2005. Behind him is left a papal legacy shadowed with the further exaltation of Mary. His coffin was decorated with her initial as a symbol of his honor and submission to the one whom he served.  Where Vatican II warned against treating Mary as “a divine
being”, John Paul II (picture) not only consecrated his life to
her, but further deified her mysticism, making it his mission
“to consecrate every nation upon which he walked to the
authority of her immaculate heart”. Catholic literature in memorial of John Paul II writes, “As the Vicar of Christ he has consecrated each place that he has visited to the Blessed Virgin Mary. On 13 May 1983 he went to Fatima to consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He later repeated the consecration of the world to Mary in union with all the Bishops of the Catholic Church, in fulfillment of Our Lady's promises at Fatima”. John Paul II went further and presented the Church with a blasphemous gospel foreign to its founding fathers, in claiming that Mary was not only Christ’s mother, but was actively involved in the salvation process as “co-redeemer”. In 1995 Pope John Paul II began a lengthy catechesis on “The Blessed Virgin Mary” during his weekly Angelus address. He issued instruction pertaining to “Mary’s active participation in the Sacrifice of Calvary”. Catholic Forum presents the following explanation. “This active participation of Our Lady at Calvary is called the corredemption. Already in 1982 and 1985 Pope John Paul II used the term "corredemptrix" in reference to Our Lady in public addresses. This is significant, for he is the first Pope to do so since Pope Benedict XV at whose prayer Our Lady came to Fatima to reveal Her Immaculate Heart. Since the time of Pope Benedict XV, this terminology was under review by the Holy See; the present Pope's usage is a confirmation of this traditional view of Mary's role in salvation history”. There is no evidence to support Mary’s role in Christ’s atonement recorded, scripturally or historically, other than the gospel account of her being present at the crucifixion. Pope Benedict XV in his apostolic letter Inter sodalicia, (to which the Forum referred) had previously added the title 'Queen of Peace' to her Litany, and gave his support to the belief of Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces by approving a Mass and office under this title for the dioceses of Belgium. He said that "together with Christ she redeemed the human race by her immolation of Christ as his sorrowful mother". Further, according to John Paul’s apostolic letter “Rosearium Virginis Mariae” to the Bishops and Clergy on 16 Oct 2002, Mary, as co-redeemer, appears to have replaced the ministry of the Holy Spirit as “revealer of Christ to the saints”. He writes, “Christ is the supreme Teacher, the revealer and the one revealed. It is not just a question of learning what he taught but of “learning him”. In this regard could we have any better teacher than Mary?” He continued “among creatures no one knows Christ better than Mary; no one can introduce us to a profound knowledge of his mystery better than his Mother… it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ”. For many biblical scholars observing the similarities, it has become a relevant supposition when considering the likeness of the venerated Catholic goddess of Mary to that of the pagan goddess Diana, as to whether the Church is today witnessing the rise of Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots and queen of Heaven (Rev 17:5, 18:7). This queen whose cup is full of the blood of Martyrs also boasts like attributes as Ashtoreth, and Diana. Her authority however stems not from Ephesus, but from the seat of the final antichrist empire - Rome (Dan 7:7, 8; Rev 17:9, 18). The satanic strategy to elevate a woman to goddess status has endured from the Garden of Eden with Eve’s temptation to the present day. Certainly, history has seen the children of Ashtoreth, Dianna, and Mary responsible for much of the shed blood of the innocent. Certainly, the Vatican continues to prevaricate wrong-doing regarding the Inquisitions where the martyrdom of millions of Christians, tens of thousands of Jews, and the slaughter of one million Serbs during WW II remain an enduring legacy. Summary The rise of Papal authority has left a legacy of mixture. On the one hand its early influence was primarily responsible for the preservation of much of the doctrine we have today as it overcame the many challenges and heresies that attacked the orthodoxy of scripture. On the other hand it has left in its wake, a shocking history of inhumane treatment toward its own subjects, those of the faith, and any one else it termed heretics. Its rule has seen the papacy rise and fall, hold to and yet also abandon orthodox doctrine applying copious interpretations to much New Testament teachings. At this point of time in history the papacy is once again occupied with pagan philosophies and spiritism. Its forsaking of the biblical gospel message with its resolve to worship and follow another spirit-redeemer is described in biblical terms as nothing less than idolatry and apostasy. The ministry legacy of John Paul II has seen the drive for acceptance of all faiths regardless of doctrinal dichotomy, and appears to be forsaking any remaining founding orthodox theology. In doing so, the Papacy has displayed a giant pendulum swing from past edicts concerning heretical religions. The elevation of tradition, the veneration of a Mary god, and the belief of papal infallibility, could be seen as significant rationale for its latest spiritual demise. While the papacy today remains confined to the Papal States, and its once lording influence over the European populace all but conceded, the funeral of Pope John Paul II may signify yet another era is about to “shine forth from Peter’s chair”. His funeral (picture) saw dignitaries and the most powerful political leaders of our age give homage and respect for a man who served a queen of heaven, and represented more the hope of an end day peace, than biblical Orthodox Christianity. Today, his successor former archbishop of Munich Joseph Ratzinger brings to the papal throne interesting curriculum vitae. He served in the military for Germany during WW II and was by his own admission privy to the Holocaust, yet remained silent. Prior to his ascension Ratzinger was head of the office of the Inquisition (the modern equivalent of the office of the Holy Inquisition) for three consecutive five-year terms. His office occupied “The Palace of the Inquisition” adjacent to the Vatican and is today called “the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith”. It only stands because the Italian Government intervened when a mob sought to burn it down after Pius IX was deposed. “But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And marvel not; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works”. NT 2Corinthians 11:12-15. |