When I was a teenager in the sixties, I remember my friends resorting to the rhetorical question "Who died and left you boss?" Actually, it was more a rhetorical statement than a question. If it was directed to you, you immediately understood that you were being too bossy, assuming too much power, or overstepping your authority. Let's change this question slightly to say, "Who died and left the Pope boss?"

This question has a simple and obvious answer. In fact, the answer is so simple and so obvious that I'm toying with idea that no answer is necessary. Surely, every Catholic knows the answer. It's one of the bedrocks of our faith. Likewise, it's the primary issue that keeps the Orthodox Churches and many Protestant denominations separated from the Roman Catholic Church.

I'm truly not trying to embarrass anyone with my sarcasm, least of all my Catholic brothers and sisters. Whether you are deep into studying and understanding our beautiful faith or nominal in your knowledge of basic Catholic teaching, I only want to help you accept and react to the challenge issued by Saint Jerome between 408 and 410 A.D. when he wrote, "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."¹

Many of our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters claim to know the Bible inside and out; yet, they use selective reading and interpretation to ignore or distort clear Catholic teachings documented in the Bible. I am willing to alienate my Catholic friends and acquaintances in order to motivate them to learn their faith.

The Bible clearly identifies who died and left the Pope in charge. Pull out your Bible and read the following three passages: Mt 16:13-19; Lk 22:31-32; and Jn 21:13-17.

Listen to our Lord's words in Matthew. "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Now listen to our Lord's words in Luke, "Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you [the twelve Apostles] like wheat, but I have prayed for you [Peter only] that your own faith may not fail; and you [Peter only], when once you turn back, strengthen your brothers." (For clarity, I added the words between brackets.)

Finally, we read in John's gospel that our Lord asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Then, even though Jesus doesn't get the exact response He wants, He tells Peter, "Feed my sheep."

So who died and left the Pope in charge? Jesus Christ. These three Bible passage and numerous others leave no room for doubt: God made Peter the boss of His Church on earth; and Peter's authority as the head of God's Church did not end with Peter's crucifixion. It continues until this day with the unbroken succession of popes from Saint Peter to our current Holy Father.

In every successful organization someone is the final decision maker. God's Church on earth is not an exception to this rule. Canon 331 in the Code of Canon Law states, "The bishop of the Roman Church, in whom continues the office given by the Lord uniquely to Peter, the first of the Apostles, and to be transmitted to his successors, is the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ, and the pastor of the universal Church on earth. By virtue of his office he possesses supreme, full, immediate, and universal 'ordinary' power in the Church, which he is always able to exercise freely." (The word ordinary is used in the Church to denote the person placed in authority over a particular church [diocese] or its equivalent. A bishop is the ordinary within his diocese. The Pope is the ordinary over the universal Church.) Without a final decision-maker the Church would be like a great ship without a captain, the ship would get off course and not reach its destination.

Listen to this emphatic statement from canon 333 §3. "No appeal or recourse is permitted against a sentence or decree of the Roman Pontiff."

Do you think having absolute power and authority tied up in one man is right or wrong? I think most men and women dislike the idea. The mere thought that one individual can have final say over things that affect our life runs counter to how we in the western world think decisions should be made.

The fact that Christ established the papacy reveals his wisdom. Before He ascended into heaven, He entrusted His truth (the full Word of God) to the Apostles and His Church. He does not want that truth modified, reduced, or hidden. Truth does not change over the centuries. God entrusted the final decision-making role within His Church to Saint Peter and his successors.

Indecisiveness can be a killer. I've seen managers in the business world who can't make decisions. Their indecisiveness places a company's success and often times their very survival at risk. The Pope is a decisive decision-maker. Do you know why we should trust in his decision making? The Holy Spirit guides him. The decisions the Pope makes on issues of faith and morals are infallible decisions made by God the Holy Spirit.

One only has to look to unresolved issues in the Protestant churches today to recognize their dilemma. Thorny issues like gay marriage, the use of artificial contraception, euthanasia, openly gay clergy, etc. are left unresolved because our separated brothers and sisters in other Christian churches do not have a final decision maker.

I do not like being bossed around. But, if God is going to guide that boss, I'm okay with it because I place all my trust in Him. Do you?
¹Saint Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah, PL 24, 17.

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 424, 440-43, 551-56, 567, 586, 765, 816, 869, 880-85, 891, 936-37, 1444, 2034-35. Also, pull out your "Catholic" Bible and reference Is 22:20-24; Mt 16: 13-19; 17:24-27, Mk 3:14; Lk 22:31-32; Jn 21:15-17; Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; 2:14-36; 3:1-26; 5:1-11; 15:6-12; 2 Tim 1:16; Rev 3:7.