The only control is your Free-Will, to follow the Mystical Body of Christ established on St Peter by Jesus Christ through Divine Providence. Its Biblical, Historical and all are called to follow in obedience. And that obedience is the same as required in Gods Kingdom. And that is the aspect which is always questioned, but always remained since CHRIST. Regarless of what heresy, what evil, the Gates of Hell will never Prevail. And the last time we looked? They still hadn’t.
The similarity between the US Government and the CC is due to St Robert Bellarmine’s work during the reformation. Basically the US Goverment is set up very similar to Rome since Jefferson copied Bellarmines work. The difference being the clause “Seperation of Church and State” which BTW has taken on a completely different aspect than the Forefathers of the Declaration of I intended. Properly understood, its the elect who serves the body. Which is exactly how the CC operates.
The Pentarchy is what first caused the issues with the churchs. The idea came about due to the political and ecclesiastical prominence of the five sees, but the concept of their universal and exclusive authority was firmly tied to the administrative structure of the Roman Empire. The Roman Catholic Church does not accept, either in theory or in practice, the theory of the government of the Christian Church as a pentarchy. There lies the issue.
Of the three sees that the First Council of Nicaea was to recognize as having such extraprovincial power, Rome is the one of which most evidence is discerned. The church in Rome intervened in other communities to help resolve conflicts. Pope Clement I, did so in Corinth in the end of the 1st century. In the beginning of 2nd century, Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, speaks of the Church of Rome as “presiding in the region of the Romans”. In the end of that century, Pope Victor I threatened to excommunicate the Eastern bishops who continued to celebrate Easter on 14 Nisan, not on the following Sunday.
Council of Nicaea in 325, in whose fourth canon the title “metropolitan” FINALLY appears for the first time, sanctioned the existing grouping of sees by provinces of the Roman empire, but also recognized that three sees, Alexandria, Antioch and Rome, already had authority over wider areas. In speaking of Antioch, it also spoke generically about “other provinces”.
While the Council did not specify the extent of the authority of Rome or Antioch, it clearly indicated the area, even outside its own province of Egypt, over which Alexandria had authority, by referring to “the ancient customs of Egypt, Libya and Pentapolis, according to which the bishop of Alexandria has authority over all these places”.
This Council’s recognition of the special powers of Rome, Alexandria and Antioch served as the basis of the theory of the three…
Petrine sees (Rome and Antioch were founded by St Peter and Alexandria by his disciple Mark the Evangelist) that was later upheld, especially in Rome and Alexandria, in opposition to the theory of the five Pentarchy sees.
The First Council of Constantinople (381) decreed in a canon of disputed validity: “The Bishop of Constantinople, however, shall have the prerogative of honour after the Bishop of Rome; because Constantinople is New Rome.”
[This “prerogative of honour” did not entail jurisdiction outside his own “diocese”.]
Council also decreed: "The bishops are not to go beyond their dioceses to churches lying outside of their bounds, nor bring confusion on the churches; but let the Bishop of Alexandria, according to the canons, alone administer the affairs of Egypt; and let the bishops of the East manage the East alone, the privileges of the Church in Antioch, which are mentioned in the canons of Nice, being preserved; and “let the bishops of the Asian Diocese administer the Asian affairs only; and the Pontic bishops only Pontic matters; and the Thracian bishops only Thracian affairs.” Jerusalem was not put at the head of any of the five dioceses. Until the Fourth Council of Constantinople of 869-870, by Rome, which proposed the theory that the most important sees were the three Petrine ones, with Rome in first place. :
And as stated above the rest is “moot”, since nothing is constant but change which is a fact of “physics”. Just look in mirror 5-years from now.
Biblically. Historically, the Churchs founded by St Peter are the authority of the Mystical Body of Christ by Divine Providence. And it wouldn’t matter where Rome is, be it Africa, America, oh I forgot they aren’t “allowed” in Russia
Or if it was Ethiopia, it would still be St Peters Chair given by God.
Where are we, when we know we must demand that our faith and morals be followed even though that is going to lead to ridicule, and rejection, even by members of our own family. Where are we when we know we are morally bound to make certain demands that are going to be unpopular. Where will you stand then?
The Chair of Peter speaks for Christianity like it of not. And often its not liked. Not even by us here in the church. its “Thy Will be Done” not mine or yours.
The Bishop of Rome was certainly no monarch, but neither was he the modern invention called “first in honor only”- both are equally ridiculous claims when it comes to the early church.