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Dear catholic.com visitors: This website from Catholic Answers, with all its many resources, is the world's largest source of explanations for Catholic beliefs and practices. A fully independent, lay-run, 501(c)(3) ministry that receives no funding from the institutional Church, we rely entirely on the generosity of everyday people like you to keep this website going with trustworthy , fresh, and relevant content. If everyone visiting this month gave just $1, catholic.com would be fully funded for an entire year. Do you find catholic.com helpful? Please make a gift today. SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR NEW MONTHLY DONATIONS! Thank you and God bless.

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Why Does the Bishop of Rome Have Primacy?

Question:

How do we know that the bishops of Rome are meant to have the primacy of Peter?

Answer:

Precisely because they are the successors of St. Peter, who traveled in his apostolic ministry and became the first bishop of Rome. For more on this subject, please see our presentation on the “Primacy of Rome,” which draws from the writings of the early Church Fathers. I also you refer to the late Fr. Ray Ryland’s article on the same subject.

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