On Matters of Church Authority
One thing that sets Catholicism apart from most other Christian denominations is its reliance on authoritative teachers to help define the doctrines of the faith. Catholics believe that the Pope is the heir to the authority of Peter, the first Pope and the Rock upon whom Jesus built His Church (Matthew 16:18). Along with the Pope, the Church relies on the teaching authority of its Magisterium, which is comprised of the Church's hierarchy, with the Pope at its head (like the Pope, the Magisterium derives its authority from the Apostles, who derived their authority from Christ). The term Magisterium refers not only to those who teach us about Catholic doctrine, it also is used in reference to the hierarchy's authority to teach.
Catholics place great emphasis on this authority because we firmly believe that disobedience of Christ's teachings is disobedience of Christ Himself. In His infinite wisdom, Jesus saw that people would misinterpret and misrepresent His teachings. Thus, He gave to His Apostles the responsibility of preserving and promoting His teachings. As successors to the Apostles, the Pope and the Church's hierarchy take very seriously their role as caretakers of the truth of Christ.
Apologetics Links Relating to Authority
(Unless otherwise noted, these links are to tracts from the Catholic Answers website)
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