Many people have asked this question with genuine curiosity: Why do Catholics say that Saint Peter was the first Pope? To understand this, we need to go back to the words of Jesus Himself and the moment when Peter’s unique role among the apostles was revealed.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The name “Peter” means rock, and Christ’s words were more than symbolic — they were a mission. Jesus chose Peter to be the visible foundation of His Church on earth. Just as a shepherd leads the flock, Peter was entrusted with caring for the people of God.
After Jesus’ Resurrection, we see this calling confirmed. In John 21, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” and then says, “Feed My sheep.” This was not merely a moment of forgiveness for Peter’s earlier denial — it was the Lord entrusting him with the responsibility of guiding and protecting the whole flock of believers. In this way, Peter became the first leader of the Church — the first bishop of Rome, and thus, the first Pope.
The Church teaches that the Pope is the successor of Saint Peter — not replacing him, but continuing his mission of unity and faith. The line of Popes from Peter onward is an unbroken chain stretching back to that moment by the Sea of Galilee. This is why Catholics see the papacy not as a human invention, but as a gift of Christ to keep His Church one and faithful through the centuries.
Even today, every Pope is called the “Vicar of Christ” and the “Successor of Peter.” This means he serves not in his own name, but in the name of the Lord who first called a humble fisherman and made him the rock upon which the Church stands.
Saint Peter reminds us that God builds His Church not on human perfection, but on faith and love. May we, too, allow Christ to strengthen our hearts, that we might be living stones in His Church today.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
