Br Mannes Tellis, OP

Br Mannes Tellis OP  will be ordained a Priest at the end of this year. He is presently completing a posting in Glebe, Sydney working on the Dominican missions for WYD08.

Every body needs a head, and therefore the role of the Pope in the Church is to be the head of Christ's body on earth.

It all started when St Peter was given the role as head of the apostles by Jesus, this happened when Peter had confessed the truth about who Jesus really was. For Peter's unwavering fidelity Christ the Lord said to the humble fisherman “I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Peter also had the duty of feeding Christ's sheep and lambs (John 21:15-19).

The papacy is then an institution in the Church which descends from Peter and has as its duty to lead the Church and feed it with the truth.

The bishop of Rome is the successor of St Peter, and has primacy over all other bishops. This is because St Peter as head of the apostolic college took with him to Rome his Christ given authority.

Knowing he would die one day, either by natural death or martyrdom, the apostle Peter no doubt had to appoint another man in his place, so as to govern the flock at Rome and throughout the Christian world. From this situation sprang the institution we call the Papacy. The Papacy is also a sign of unity in the Church and it must always point to Jesus, until he comes again.