Upapa​—Kodi Unakhazikitsidwa ndi Kristu?

“M’CHENICHENI, pakati pa Petro, Bishopu woyamba wa Roma, ndi papa wathu wamakono, John Paul II, pali mzera wautali wa ansembe aakulu​—oposa 260.” Amatero wansembe Wachikatolika Anthony Foy mu The Southern Cross, magazini a mlungu ndi mlungu Achikatolika a kummwera kwa Afirika. Iye akupitiriza kuti: “Kuli kumzera wa apapa wosaduka umenewu kumene mwachidaliro tingalozereko, pamene tipemphedwa kutsimikizira kuti Tchalitchi Chakatolika chinakhazikitsidwa ndi Yesu Kristu.”

Kodi kunganenedwe mwachidaliro kuti mzera wautali umenewo wa apapa unayamba ndi mtumwi Petro? Malinga ndi maphunziro azaumulungu Achikatolika, apapa anayi, Linus, Anacletus, Clement I, ndi Evaristus, amanenedwa kukhala analowa mmalo Petro kudzafika chaka cha 100 C.E. Baibulo limatchuladi Mkristu wotchedwa Linus yemwe anakhala ku Roma. (2 Timoteo 4:21) Komabe, palibe chirichonse chimene chimapereka lingaliro lakuti Linus, kapena wina aliyense, anali wolowa mmalo waupapa wa Petro. Mtumwi Yohane, amene analemba mabukhu asanu a Baibulo m’zaka khumi zomalizira za zana loyamba, sanatchule konse aliyense wa otchedwa olowa mmalo a Petro ali pamwambapa. Ndithudi, ngati panali wolowa mmalo wa Petro, kodi moyenerera sakanakhala Yohane iyemwini yemwe akanasankhidwa?

Ponena za kunena kwakuti Petro anali bishopu woyamba wa Roma, palibe umboni wakuti iye anachezeradi mzindawo. M’chenicheni, Petro iyemwini amanena kuti analemba kalata wake woyamba kuchokera ku Babulo. (1 Petro 5:13) Chigomeko cha Akatolika chakuti Petro anagwiritsira ntchito “Babulo” kuphiphiritsira Roma nchopanda maziko. Babulo weniweniyo analiko m’tsiku la Petro. Ndiponso, Babulo anali ndi kagulu kokulirapo ka Ayuda. Popeza kuti Yesu anapereka gawo kwa Petro la kusumika kulalikira kwake kwa Ayuda odulidwa, kuli koyenera kukhulupirira kuti Petro anakacheza ku Babulo kaamba ka chifuno chimenechi.​—Agalatiya 2:9.

Ndiponso, onani kuti, Petro sanaloze konse kwa iyemwini monga wofunika aliyense kusiyapo kukhala monga mmodzi wa atumwi a Kristu. (2 Petro 1:1) Palibe paliponse m’Baibulo pamene iye akutchedwa monga “Bambo Woyera,” “Wansembe Wamkulu,” kapena “Papa” (Chilatini, papa, mawu osonyeza chikondi a “Atate”). Mmalomwake, iye modzichepetsa anamamatira kumawu a Yesu pa Mateyu 23:9, 10 akuti: “Ndipo inu, musatchule wina atate wanu pansi pano, pakuti alipo mmodzi ndiye Atate wanu wakumwamba. Ndipo musatchedwa atsogoleri, pakuti alipo mmodzi Mtsogoleri, ndiye Kristu.” Petro sanavomereze kulambiridwa. Pamene Koneliyo kenturiyo Wachiroma ‘anagwa pamapazi ake namlambira . . . , Petro anamuutsa iye, nanena, Nyamuka; inenso ndine munthu.’​—Machitidwe 10:25, 26.

Ponena za apapa onenedwawo 260, Foy wansembeyo akuvomereza kuti: “Unyinji wa iwo sunayenerere udindo wawo wapamwamba.” Poyesayesa kulungamitsa zimenezi, New Catholic Encyclopedia imati: “Chimene chinali kanthu ku zifuno za boma chinali udindo, ndipo osati mkhalidwe waumwini wapapa aliyense payekha. Iyemwini angakhale anali woyera mtima, wolekerera, ndipo ngakhale wosawona mtima.” Koma kodi mumakhulupirira kuti Kristu akagwiritsira ntchito amuna otero kumuimira?

Mulimonse mmene zingakhalire, kunena kuti upapa unakhazikitsidwa ndi Yesu kuli kosachirikizidwa konse m’Baibulo. Malinga ndi Encyclopedia of Religion, ngakhale akatswiri amakono Achikatolika amavomereza kuti “palibe umboni wachindunji wa Baibulo wakuti Yesu anakhazikitsa upapa monga udindo wachikhalire mkati mwa tchalitchi.”