Why Do People Bow To The Pope?

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Why do people bow & kiss the ring of the Pope? If he has inherited the office of Peter, why woudn’t he say what Peter said in** Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ** It seems he is being put on the same level as God & he is only a sinner like the rest of us.
 
AllN4Jesus said:
Why do people bow & kiss the ring of the Pope? If he has inherited the office of Peter, why woudn’t he say what Peter said in** Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ** It seems he is being put on the same level as God & he is only a sinner like the rest of us.
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One might ask why soldiers salute officers, or people render honor to a flag…one might ask why protestants call their pastors “Reverend”. Do they revere and worship them? Of course not.

The Pope is the leader of a Church of over one billion members, and he has spent a lifetime in successive, and increasingly more responsible positions of leadership in the Catholic faith since his earliest days as a priest.

In addition to this, the Pope is the Head of State for the Vatican, just like the President is Head of State (the Executive) of the United States.

Paying honor to him is not elevating him to the level of God. It is giving all due respect in accordance with his position and our faith.

Thanks for your interest in this subject.:tiphat:

God bless.
 
Bowing is an act of respect and humility. The issue now is that many people view humility as something that ought not be shown to another person. Pride, rather than humility is valued by men today.

To say, “Why should I bow to another man, after all he’s just a man like me,” is to be guilty of pride.
 
Bowing to the Pope or kissing his pontifical ring is not actually about him so much as honouring what he represents.
 
AllN4Jesus said:
Why do people bow & kiss the ring of the Pope? If he has inherited the office of Peter, why woudn’t he say what Peter said in** Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ** It seems he is being put on the same level as God & he is only a sinner like the rest of us.
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Why do privates salute generals?
 
Mount_Carmel said:
Bowing to the Pope or kissing his pontifical ring is not actually about him so much as honouring what he represents.
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Very true. It took me some time to understand this concept. It isn’t the man, but the office/position he holds which is being shown respect. From what I have been told, it is not a requirement so if a person does not feel comfortable doing these things, they shouldn’t do them. The first time I ever met a bishop everyone was kissing his ring and I just shook his hand. He did not seem to take it offensively.
 
Mike30 said:
Troll.

🍿🍿🍿🍿
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Be kind. As the church is a hospital for sinners and not a hotel for saints, this site is a place for those searching for catechesis and not just a site for those already catechized.
 
AllN4Jesus said:
Why do people bow & kiss the ring of the Pope? If he has inherited the office of Peter, why woudn’t he say what Peter said in** Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ** It seems he is being put on the same level as God & he is only a sinner like the rest of us.
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The Pope is a sinner like the rest of us. However, he isn’t worshiped. People kiss his ring and bow to him because of what he represents. He is Christ’s representative on earth.

Besides, it isn’t just the Pope’s ring that is kissed. It is the custom to kiss the episcopal ring of any bishop. Plus, in Benedictine monasteries, monks bow to the abbot.

Bowing and kissing isn’t a sign of worship. It is a sign of humility for what the person represents.

Peter did that most likely because Cornelius thought he should worship him. Peter taught him that he was just a man, but also Pope.
 
AllN4Jesus said:
Why do people bow & kiss the ring of the Pope? If he has inherited the office of Peter, why woudn’t he say what Peter said in** Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” **It seems he is being put on the same level as God & he is only a sinner like the rest of us.
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your operative words are ‘it seems’. It is your perception that we ‘put the Pope on the same level as God’, but it is not a fact, any more than you kissing the Bible would put IT on the same level as God. God’s written word is holy, but the Bible is not a god.

The ring on the Pope’s finger is a huge symbol that would have been very familiar to people in Jesus’ time and before. The ‘vicar’ of a king would be given, by the king, just such a ring or a seal that would show that while the king was ‘away’, the vicar would have exactly the same authority as the king, and would do his actions ‘in the king’s name, with the king’s authority’. That did not make the vicar a king, but people would give the vicar the respect due a king (bowing) because by the ring./seal, he **had the authority GIVEN him by the king, so long as the king remained ‘away’. **
 
AllN4Jesus said:
Why do people bow & kiss the ring of the Pope? If he has inherited the office of Peter, why woudn’t he say what Peter said in** Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ** It seems he is being put on the same level as God & he is only a sinner like the rest of us.
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Actualmente en los países con régimen monárquico (la mayoría no son católicos) los súbditos se siguen inclinando, besando la mano y haciendo reverencias a los monarcas y personas de alta jerarquía, por eso ¿los consideran dioses?
Los protestantes-evangélicos apuntan que lo prohibido es el inclinarse delante de las imágenes, error, no es correcto pensar que inclinarse o hacer algo parecido necesariamente implica la adoración, no es así. David inclinó su rostro sobre la tierra, e hizo reverencia (a Saúl) (1 S 24, 8). En Josué 7, 6 el profeta se postró en tierra sobre su rostro delante del arca de Yahvéh hasta caer la tarde; él y los ancianos de Israel. Dice que todos se postraron frente al arca. Una acción aún mucho más reverente y profunda que inclinarse (1 Cro 29, 20),Y ENCIMA DEL ARCA HABÍA ESCULTURAS DE ÁNGELES. ¿JOSUÉ SE POSTRÓ A LAS IMÁGENES DE ÁNGELES?: Harán también un arca de madera… harás también querubines… sobre el Arca (ver Éxodo 25, 18-22, especialmente v. 22). Abdías se postró ante el profeta Elías para mostrarle su respeto (1 Re 18, 7), Rut ante Boaz (Rut 2, 8-10) y Josué ante un ángel (5, 14). Ver Gen 33,3 y 1 R 1, 16 y 25.
 
In addition to the MANY spiritual reasons and respect for the office, the pope is the head of state of Vatican City. Why do people bow before the Queen of Britain? Why do people bow before the Kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia?
 
Bowing doesn’t always equate worship. In the case of Cornelius, that may have been his intent, so St. Peter corrected him. Showing due reverence to those who represent Christ, as the Apostles did, is more than fitting.
In the Old Testament, the Prophet Daniel prostrated before the archangel Gabriel and addressed him as “my lord” - St. Gabriel did not rebuke him but accepted the honor (see Daniel 10). In 1 Samuel 28:14, Saul prostrates before the Prophet Samuel to honor the fact that Samuel was a representative of God. Again, bowing does not necessarily equate worship.

To give a more contemporary example, when I proposed to my future wife, I genuflected on one knee…in other words, I bowed before her and honored her. Men do this every day in Western culture. Does this mean that they are worshipping the women?
 
A formal bow by the man and a proper curtsy by the woman is a way of showing respect for the respective dance partner. They don’t worship each other as God.

View attachment 18600

Similarly, an orchestral conductor, or a musician, will bow before his audience to show his respect and gratitude for their time and appreciation. He does not elevate the public to the status of God-like worship in doing so.

View attachment 18601

Essentially, the bow is an acknowledgment to others and shows deferential esteem. In the case of the Pope, the esteem is toward his station as head of the RC Church.
 
AllN4Jesus said:
Why do people bow & kiss the ring of the Pope? If he has inherited the office of Peter, why woudn’t he say what Peter said in** Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ** It seems he is being put on the same level as God & he is only a sinner like the rest of us.
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One rather large problem: you are reading from a very modern, biased, and agenda-driven bible (the NIV). It does not translate the ancient scriptures all that accurately. Let’s examine older, more reliable bibles so that the original meaning of inspired scripture will be much clearer.

Acts 10:25
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
25 And it came to pass, that when Peter was come in, Cornelius came to meet him, and falling at his feet adored.

Acts 10:25
Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.

The Latin Vulgate (382-405)
25 Et factum est cum introisset Petrus, obvius venit ei Cornelius, et procidens ad pedes ejus adoravit. (adored)

As you can see, the original meaning was not “reverence”, but adoration or worship, which is due God alone. The vast majority of Protestant bibles translate this as “worshipped” which we both know is wrong to offer a man. Try another bible.

Question: Is your pastor called “Reverend”? If so, by the standard that you have laid down, it almost seems (there’s that word again) like you are reverencing/adoring/worshipping a man, your pastor.

Things are not always what they seem to be.
 
AllN4Jesus said:
Why do people bow & kiss the ring of the Pope? If he has inherited the office of Peter, why woudn’t he say what Peter said in** Acts 10:25-26 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ** It seems he is being put on the same level as God & he is only a sinner like the rest of us.
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Why do people bow to the Queen of England?

Seriously, why do people ask this question of the Pope but not of any secular leader?

It’s about respect, people.
 
Tantum_ergo said:
The ring on the Pope’s finger is a huge symbol that would have been very familiar to people in Jesus’ time and before. The ‘vicar’ of a king would be given, by the king, just such a ring or a seal that would show that while the king was ‘away’, the vicar would have exactly the same authority as the king, and would do his actions ‘in the king’s name, with the king’s authority’. That did not make the vicar a king, but people would give the vicar the respect due a king (bowing) because by the ring./seal, he **had the authority GIVEN him by the king, so long as the king remained ‘away’. **
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This. In fact, during the Middle Ages, you would bow and kiss the ring of almost anyone who had an education as a sign of respect, since the educated (which included leaders of all types) were expected to help those less knowledgeable than them. As a college student, I traveled throughout Morocco and was surprised to learn that the tradition still continues to this day in much of the Middle East. Even as an American, when I would enter stores in the bazaars, many shopkeepers (at least the older ones, anyway) would bow to me and kiss my class ring as a sign of respect for my education. I was quite taken aback at first.
 
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