Pope Francis’ recent death is an opportunity for bible-believing Christians to consider what we ought to believe about the papacy. The goal is not to dance on a dead man’s grave, but to think about who oversees Christ’s church. Is the papacy a legitimate institution? Does it have biblical warrant?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (“CCC”) says that:
“On May 8, 2025, the Catholic Church announced the election of a new pope. American-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is now Pope Leo XIV” - TGC
“Within 15 days of the death of a pope, cardinals will begin the conclave — the word is drawn from the Latin ‘cum clave,’ meaning ‘with a key,’ because they are locked in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican to vote on the next pope.” - RNS
“Top U.S. bishops have admitted their disappointment and frustration as the Vatican has blocked immediate action on the child sex abuse scandal.” - Christian Post
“Pope Francis has been accused by a former top Vatican official of covering up sex abuse in the Catholic Church for years. Francis, who at the World Meeting of Families in Ireland over the weekend apologized to the faithful for cover-ups from others, has since given an enigmatic response to the accusations.” - CPost
Moore emphasizes “the distinction the Bible makes between the innocent and the guilty,” adding, “The gospel shows us forgiveness for the guilty through the sin-absorbing atonement of Christ, not through the state’s refusal to carry out temporal justice.” BPress
“The identification of the Pope as the antichrist was so ingrained in the Reformation era (for obvious reasons) that Luther stated it repeatedly.”
