Papacy

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Cruxis117

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I don’t know where to put this, so I’ve put it in here. If it’s in the wrong place, I apologize.

I was on another forum, when I was speaking with a former Catholic (current athiest) who wrote an essay which was “why do we have a Roman Episcopate?” He said that it made more sense for the Successorship of Peter to start in Antioch, according to some ECF I wasn’t aware of. He also said that Augustine and other ECF’s didn’t believe in a Papacy. Can someone give me any help on this matter? I’m aware of the list of St. Ireneaus, but we never discussed it.
 
I am not sure I understood the problem, except that some atheist wants to deny the papacy.

According to the Tradition Peter established three Patriarchates : in Antioch, In Alexandria, and in Rome. The first two lost their importance during the history, only the Roman Patriarchate remained in power. This is fact.
 
Just tell him that the capital of the United States is still Philadelphia, even though everyone only thinks it’s been moved to Washington, DC. 😉

Ask him if he thinks the place where St. Peter became a martyr has any importance at all; why Constantine had St. Peter’s built in Rome and not in Antioch; why Constantinople referred to itself as New Rome, not New Antioch; why the Romans are the ones who received one of St. Paul’s Epistles…

Even the Eastern Orthodox don’t say that the See of Antioch is the ‘First Among Equals’ today. That honorific has passed to Constantinople.

If Antioch was the most important place he ever lived, why did St. Peter leave there?

Whenever you hear someone in a revisionist way start to downplay something, they have a motive. That motive is to take the place of whatever they criticize.

Although Antioch is one of the oldest Christian communities, it wasn’t the center of the ecclesiastical world by the end of St. Peter’s life, and it isn’t today.
 
There are several reasons why Rome has the pride of place. Two of which are:
  1. While Peter did establish the church in different places, Rome was the last and where he died. The other places already had successor bishops while he was still alive. So it was a Rome that a Bishop had to be selected to “succeed Peter”.
  2. Rome was, at the time, the center of commerce, government etc. The old saying that “All Roads Lead to Rome” was quite true in many senses.
Peace
James
 
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