Well, insofar as the pope’s role, it is in scripture.
Look at where Christ is speaking to Peter. Christ asks Peter, and Peter alone, 3 times to shepherd his sheep. Peter agrees. Then, Christ gives Peter special, exclusive authority, that he doesn’t even give to any of the other apostles.
Jesus says to Peter in Matthew 18:18:
biblehub.com/matthew/18-18.htm
also in Matthew 16:19:
biblehub.com/matthew/18-18.htm
In scripture, Peter is always listed first of the apostles, and he speaks for them. In the absence of Christ, Peter is clearly in charge. What he says is final. We believe that before Christ ascended, he gave authority to Peter so that the Church would never at any point be without leadership. The last thing Jesus said was that he would be with the Church till the end of time. We have Jesus’ promise.
Now, we Catholics believe that Christ gave authority not only to Peter but also to the apostles when Christ breathed on them all saying:
biblehub.com/john/20-23.htm
Now, Peter, and his descendants, have authority to make indulgences and more. They got that authority directly from Christ.
Other churches split off from the origin Church, which I believe was the ONLY Church that Christ established. People later came along, for a whole range of reasons, decided to ignore the pope, establish their own leaders, their own “popes”, instead.
However, Christ said he would be with the Church till the end of time. We have Christ’s promise. For the other churches who had founders and leaders, like Henry VIII, who started a church, in part, because he couldn’t get an annulment. He also wanted absolute power.
Others came along, one after the other, sometimes 1,500 years down the road saying they had a better idea, to follow them, instead. Although, Christ warned us about that. I don’t see where Luther, or the other churches, were acting under divine authority. It’s just that these churches are man made.
Luther got rid of the papacy, established his own leaders. Did you realize that there are currently approximately 41,000 different kinds of Christianity, a result of all these schisms? However, when we reject the leaders which were set up by Christ (the Pope, Archbishops, bishops, cardinals, and priests), we reject Christ. When we reject Christ, we reject the one who sent him.
Each found it progressively easier to run out, want to start a new church for any reason at all. Some have developed churches which permit divorce, accept the practice of homosexuality even in its leaders.
However, if you go back to scripture, read what Christ and the Bible had to say, I don’t know how they can come to those conclusions.
In any case, going back to your father, I personally think if he is responding like you said, like this…
that it might make little difference what you say to him. What I mean is that no matter what you say or do, it sounds like he’s very closed. So, while you can try to explain your position, don’t expect him to accept it.
