Inkqubo Yoopopu—Ngaba Yasekwa NguKristu?
“PHAKATHI kukaPetros, uBhishophu wokuqala waseRoma, nopopu wethu okhoyo, uJohn Paul II, kukho umnombo omde woobhishophu abongamileyo—enyanisweni, abangaphezu kwama-260.” Itsho njalo imonki engumKatolika uAnthony Foy kwiThe Southern Cross, iphephancwadi leeveki ngeeveki lamaKatolika lasemazantsi eAfrika. Ihlabela mgama ithi: “Xa sicelwa ukuba singqine ukuba iCawa yamaKatolika yaqaliswa nguYesu Kristu, ingqalelo yethu siyalathisela ngentembelo kulo mnombo woopopu ongazange uphele.”
Ngaba kunokutshiwo ngentembelo ukuba lo mnombo mde woopopu waqala ngompostile uPetros? Ngokwemfundiso yamaKatolika, oopopu abane, uLinus (uLino), uAnacletus, uClement I noEvaristus, kuthiwa bangena ezihlangwini zikaPetros ukuya kutsho ngonyaka we-100 C.E. IBhayibhile iyamkhankanya umKristu owayenegama elinguLino nowayephila eRoma. (2 Timoti 4:21) Noko ke, akukho nto ithi uLino, okanye nabani na ongomnye, wayengupopu owangena ezihlangwini zikaPetros. Umpostile uYohane, owabhala iincwadi ezintlanu zeBhayibhile kwiminyaka elishumi yokugqibela yenkulungwane yokuqala, akazange abhekisele nakuwuphi na kwaba bangasentla ekuthiwa bangena ezihlangwini zikaPetros. Eneneni, ukuba kwakukho umntu owangena ezihlangwini zikaPetros, ngaba ngokusengqiqweni kwakungenakukhethwa uYohane?
Ngokubhekisele kwibango lokuba uPetros wayengubhishopu wokuqala waseRoma, akukho bungqina bokuba wasityelela kwanokusityelela eso sixeko. Enyanisweni, uPetros ngokwakhe ubonisa ukuba incwadi yakhe yokuqala wayibhala eseBhabheli. (1 Petros 5:13) Ibango lamaKatolika lokuba uPetros wasebenzisa igama elithi “Bhabheli” njengelibhekisela ngokufihlakeleyo kwiRoma alinasiseko. IBhabheli yokwenene yayikho ngomhla kaPetros. Ngaphezu koko, iBhabheli yayinabemi bamaYuda abaninzi kakhulu. Ekubeni uYesu wabela uPetros ukuba ashumayele ngokukhethekileyo kumaYuda awalukileyo, kusengqiqweni ngokupheleleyo ukukholelwa kwelokuba uPetros wayityelela ngale njongo iBhabheli.—Galati 2:9.
Kwakhona, phawula ukuba uPetros akazange azibize nangayiphi na enye indlela ngaphandle kokuthi ungomnye wabapostile bakaKristu. (2 Petros 1:1) EBhayibhileni akachazwa nakweyiphi na indawo ‘njengoPopu Ongcwele,’ “uBishopu Omkhulu,” okanye “uPopu” (ngesiLatini, upapa, ibinzana elithandwayo ‘likaPopu’). Kunoko, ngokuthobekileyo wanamathela emazwini kaYesu akuMateyu 23:9, 10: “Ningabizi mntu ngokuba nguyihlo emhlabeni apha; kuba mnye uYihlo wenu, lowo usemazulwini. Kananjalo maningabizwa ngokuba ningabakhokeli; ngokuba mnye uMkhokeli wenu, uKristu.” UPetros akazange akwamkele ukuhlonelwa ngokugqithiseleyo. Xa umthetheli-khulu waseRoma uKorneli “wawa ezinyaweni zakhe, [equbuda] kuye . . . , uPetros wamvusa esithi, Phakama; nam ngokwam ndingumntu.”—IZenzo 10:25, 26.
Ngokubhekisele kwabangama-260 ekuthiwa babengoopopu, umfundisi uFoy uthi: “Abaninzi babengasifanelanga isikhundla sabo.” Kumzamo wayo wokuthethelela oku, iNew Catholic Encyclopedia ithi: “Into eyayithetha kwiinjongo zomlawuli yayisisikhundla, yaye yayingebobuntu bepopu nganye. Yona ngokobuqu yayisenokuba yingcwele, umntu nje ophakathi okanye kwanomntu olibhedengu.” Kodwa ngaba ukholelwa kwelokuba uKristu wayeya kusebenzisa abantu abanjalo ukuba bammele?
Phofu ke, ibango lokuba le nkqubo yooPopu yaqaliswa nguYesu alixhaswa konke konke yiBhayibhile. Ngokutsho kwe-Encyclopedia of Religion, kwanabafundi bale mihla abangamaKatolika bayavuma ukuba “akukho bungqina bungqalileyo buseBhayibhileni bokuba uYesu wamisela isikhundla sikaPopu njengesikhundla esihlala sihleli ecaweni.”