Upon This Rock: Reflecting on the Papacy and the Passing of Pope Francis

Upon This Rock: Reflecting on the Papacy and the Passing of Pope Francis I'm sure everyone has heard about the passing of Pope Francis by now. He passed on Easter Monday at 88 years old. He had double pneumonia.  He was the 266 Pope, but who was the man? I'd like to get into that, but first I think I should explain what the Papacy is and why it's important to all Christians. Yes, the Papacy is vidal to Protestant christians too. Without the Papacy you wouldn't have the Bible, or Christianity as a whole. 

What Is the Papacy? 

In the Gospel of Matthew, 16:18–19 Jesus makes Peter as the "rock" of the Church. He even names him Rock, because the Aramaic word Kepha which means Rock. Jesus gives him the "keys to the Kingdom" which is a direct reference to Isaiah 22:22 which reads: 

"And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."

And we known this isn't just Personal interpretation of the Bible because it was understood this way long before the Bible:

“There is one Church, and one chair, founded by the word of the Lord upon Peter. … If a man does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, does he imagine that he still holds the faith?” (St. Cyprian of Carthage, The Unity of the Catholic Church, 4 AD 251)

“Simon, My disciple, I have made you the foundation of the holy Church. I betimes called you Peter (Cephas), because you will support all its buildings. You are the inspector of those who will build on earth a Church for Me.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian, Homilies, 4:1 AD 350)

His responsibility to keep the Church as one (John 17:21-23) While all the susscsesors of the Apostles, the Episkopos (Bishops) and presbyteros (Priests) had always been called "papa", or "father" (1 Cor 4:15) it wasn't until the eleventh century that the Bishops of Rome would take the title of "Pope" The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the office of Pope as follows:

"The Lord made St. Peter the visible foundation of his Church. He entrusted the keys of the Church to him. The Bishop of the Church of Rome, successor to St. Peter, is the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ, and the Pastor of the universal Church on earth." (CCC 936)

And for the first thousand years of Christianity all the churches, Church of Rome, Church of Constantinople, Church of Alexandria, Church of Antioch, and Church of Jerusalem made up the universal Church. This is where we get the word catholic, which means universal. The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. And the Papacy have been part of the structure of the Western Church until the present. The office has been now filled by 267 men in the last 2000 years. All the episkopos (ἐπίσκοπος), the greek work that our Bibles translate Overseer, can trace their susscsesion all they way back to the Apostles. By the very hands of Christ,  our high Priest, washed the feet of the Apostles during their Ordination. The same hands that cured so many in the Gospels, established the Christian Priesthood we have today.

Without the Papacy, we wouldn’t have the Bible as we know it. It was under the authority of Popes like Damasus I and Innocent I that Councils such as Rome (AD 382), Hippo (AD 393), and Carthage (AD 397) affirmed the canon of Scripture. Declaring which books were inspired and which were not. And it was through the guidance of the Bishop of Rome that the Church held firm at the Councils of Nicaea (AD 325) and Constantinople (AD 381), defining once and for all the doctrine of the Trinity and the full divinity of Christ against heresies that threatened to fracture the Faith.

Who Was the late Pope Francis? - Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Argentina on December 17, 1936. He became a member of the Jesuit order on March 11, 1958, at the age of 21. He took his final vows as a Jesuit on April 22, 1973, ordained a priest on December 13, 1969. Elected in 2013, becoming the first Jesuit Pope, and the first from the Americas.  He chose the name of St. Francis of Assisi, symbolizing humility, simplicity, and care for the poor. And this was reflected in his Papacy, chosing a simpler lifestyle, lived in the Vatican guesthouse. He was an advocate for the poor and marginalized, both in words and personal action. He was also consistently pro-life in his teaching. At times he may have been a bit controversial and sometimes vauge and confusing, but over all I personally see him as having been pastoral. 

His humility and courage left a lasting mark on the Church he served so faithfully. After his death, it was very respectful that President Trump ask for flags to be halfmast. Surprisingly, the Conclave moved with unprecedented speed, and the world was stunned when the white smoke rose after just two days. I was hoping to see it live myself, but slept through it, not expecting to see the white smoke on day two. And another shock, in the historic first, the Cardinals elected a new Pope from the United States: Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV. The swift decision was seen by many as a sign of unity and confidence among the elector, a bold step into the next chapter of Church history.

An American Pope was unexpected because America, being such a powerful country people didn't want it to be a conflict of interest or something. But after looking into who Cardinal Robert F. Prevost is I can see why they showed little hesitation in choosing him. 

• Name chosen: Leo XIV mainly in honor of Leo XIII
• Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops
• Born: Chicago, Illinois September 14, 1955
• First Augustinian Pope, final vows in 1981
• Head of the Augustinians for two consecutive terms 
• Ordained to the Priesthood in 1982
• Spent many years as a missionary in Peru 
• Attended Villanova University in Pennsylvania, degree in Mathematics and also studied Philosophy 
• Speaks: English, French, German, Italian Spanish and some Portuguese 

Leo XIV has already encouraged the reading of the Church Fathers. This is vidal to the unity of Christians. Our Lord prayed that we might all be one (John 17:21-23) As we reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis, we’re reminded that the Papacy is not merely a human office—it is a divine institution rooted in Christ’s own words. It’s the rock upon which He built His Church, and through every storm, scandal, and century, that rock has remained. Christ said the powers of death will not prevail over His Church. (Matthew 16:18) The Papacy matters because truth matters. Unity matters. And Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8-9), still calls His people to be one. May we respond to that call, firm in faith (2 Thessalonians 2:15), open in charity, and rooted, always, upon this Rock.

In addendum:

“Peter is called the rock, not because he is Christ, but because he is built upon Christ.”

St. Augustine

I've been thinking lately about how our Lord Jesus is described as the Cornerstone and Capstone in the Bible, and I think this may help people to better understand the role of Peter, aka Rock and the structure of The Church. Because while Peter is called the “rock” in Matthew 16:18, Jesus remains the true foundation of the Church; the Cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6) and the Capstone (Psalm 118:22; Acts 4:11). As the Cornerstone, Christ is the first and most essential part of the foundation; as the Capstone, He holds the entire structure together. Peter is a rock within the foundation chosen by Christ to lead, but always under Christ, who is both the origin and completion of the Church.