::Point taken but then they were expecting Jesus to return within Peter's lifetime weren't they? . There's also the fact that the papacy has just grown and grown since Peter's day and seems to bear little resemblance to what I'd imagine Jesus had in mind. That said, the same is true of the hierachy of most other church denominations though..
Hey jo. Imagining what Jesus implicitly had in mind is probably somewhat of an impossible task, as your observation about the expectation of Christ's immediate return bears witness. Being a former Protestant, I remember having similar thoughts about the Pope representing Christ with all that ceremony and glitter, but the knowledge which informed my picture was very limited and full of assumptions. I would never have imagined, for instance, all of that pomp and ceremonial richness made humble as when I saw Pope John Paul in all his ceremonial, Papal glory bow down to kiss a person's feet at Easter Vigil -- I think it was Easter Vigil anyway. What better image, what more paradoxical and unlikely image could one ever imagine to see!? This in my mind is precisely the type of unexpected result I've come to expect from Christ through His Church.
Sincerely,
Jesse
