Doctrinally, the pope is regarded as the successor of St. Peter, leader of the apostles after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is an important factor in the tradition that the pope is believed to have jurisdiction over the entire Christian church in matters of faith, morals and church government. Reviewed here are basic questions about how the papacy developed, whether popes are infallible, debates about who has been pope, and more.
Read Article: Roman Catholic Papacy 101: Who is the Pope? How Many Popes Have Existed?
I just read your article on papal infallibility, indirectly linked to this post.
Recently I read a quote from some high-ranking church official who said papal infallibility means that “someone has to have the last word.”
That was the first and only time I ever heard that.