~2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Paul was chosen to write most of the New Testament and was given an abundance of revelations from Christ. If anyone could have been elevated to a position of authority in the church, it would have been Paul. However, even Paul stated that he was given a thorn in the flesh to buffet him, lest he should be exalted above that he should!

Christ is the head of the Church, not a pope, not Peter, not anyone! This is stated three times in the New Testament:

~1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

~Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

~Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

There is no one that is “above another” in the Church other than Christ. There are Pastors (elders) who teach us from the Word.

~Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Yes, follow after those of the faith, but only if they speak unto you the Word of God! We need to be preached to about sin so that we will fall under conviction, repent and keep going down the straight and narrow road. But not to the point of elevating such a Pastor to a place where it is taught that he is the Vicar of Christ (which means Christ’s replacement here on earth), the pope. Paul did not want to be elevated. Peter did not want to be elevated (Acts 10:25-26). They were our examples and continue to be in God’s Word. Look at what Peter said:

~1 Peter 5:1-3 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: (1) Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (2) Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. (3)

Something went wrong in the catholic church. The leaders stopped obeying God’s Word and Peter and Paul’s example, and started being lords over God’s heritage. I don’t know how much Bible one needs to see and understand that the hierarchy of the catholic church is wrong!  But their entire Gospel is no longer the simple salvation that Christ taught but their religion is filled with complicated rules, dogmas and unbiblical traditions of men.