Wandile here frantically posting his bs again to cope with the release of yet another heretical Francis document.
So, just some more opinions by an ancient bishop about St. Peter as the Rock that we're supposed to be impressed by? Yeah, we can do that too:
âPeter and John were equal in dignity and honour. Christ is the foundation of all - the unshakable rock upon which we are all built as a spiritual edifice. ~Cyril of Alexandria to Nestorius.
"He (Peter) has not the primacy over the disciples but among the disciples. His primacy among the disciples was the same as that of Stephen among the deacons.â ~Augustine, Sermon 10 on Peter and Paul.
âBut observe how Peter does everything with common consent; nothing imperiiously.â ~John Chrysostom, Homily III on Acts 1:12
âTo all the apostles after His resurrection He gives equal power (parem potestatem) and says "As the Father hath sent me, even so I send you: " ~Cyprian, De Unitate 4.
âFor neither did Peter, whom first the Lord chose... when Paul disputed with him afterwards about the circumcision, claim anything to himself unsolently, nor arrogantly assume anything, so as to say that he held a primacy, and that he ought to be obeyed by novices and those lately come.â ~Cyprian, Epistle LXX concerning the baptism of heretics.
âIn the administration of the Church each bishop has the free discretion of his own will, having to account only to the Lord for his actions. None of us may set himself up as bishop of bishops., nor compel his brothers to obey him; every bishop of the Church has full liberty and complete power; as he cannot be judged by another, neither can he judge another.â ~(Cyprian's opening address to the Council of Carthage.
â⊠through the changes of times and successions, the ordering of bishops and the plan of the Church flow onwards; so that the church is founded upon the bishops and every act of the Church is controlled by these same rulers. Since this then is founded on the divine law,I marvel that some, with daring temerity, have chosen to write to me as if they wrote in the name of the Church.â ~Cyprian to the Lapsed, Epistle XXVI.
Fathers who thought of the rock as Peter: 17
Fathers who thought it referred to Peter's confession: 44
Fathers who thought Christ was the rock: 16
Fathers who thought the rock was all the apostles: 8
Conclusion: 80% of the Fathers did not recognize Peter as the rock.
* ^^ taken from a survey of the Fathers compiled by RC scholar Jean de Launoy
Yet Vatican I insists Peter as the Rock is the only interpretation ever held by the Church and anathematizes all the Fathers I just quoted above:
"To this absolutely manifest teaching of the sacred scriptures, as it has always been understood by the catholic church, are clearly opposed the distorted opinions of those who misrepresent the form of government which Christ the lord established in his church and deny that Peter, in preference to the rest of the apostles, taken singly or collectively, was endowed by Christ with a true and proper primacy of jurisdiction.
The same may be said of those who assert that this primacy was not conferred immediately and directly on blessed Peter himself, but rather on the church, and that it was through the church that it was transmitted to him in his capacity as her minister.
Therefore, if anyone says that blessed Peter the apostle was not appointed by Christ the lord as prince of all the apostles and visible head of the whole church militant; or that it was a primacy of honour only and not one of true and proper jurisdiction that he directly and immediately received from our lord Jesus Christ himself: let him be anathema."
- Vatican I, Session 4
I have no doubt your parishes in Africa are bastions of RC orthodoxy, but whatever traditional RC expressions they are managing to retain is
in spite of Rome, not because of it. Still, if you need to come here to keep cope-posting, we'll be here for you bro.