Why do Catholics follow the Pope?

The office of Pope comes directly from scripture. In Matthew 16, Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter, gives him the keys to the kingdom, the authority over right and wrong and promises the Church will be perpetual.(1) The still prevalent concept of keys symbolizing ultimate authority come from ancient culture and is reflected in scripture.(2) Later in Matthew, Jesus instructs Christians on how to resolve disagreements.(3) Then in Acts 15 we are given an example in action by the first Pope and the apostles.(4) They gathered in verse 6, Peter declares new teaching in verses 7-11, and in verse 12 Church leadership follows.

Since the moment Jesus gave His authority to Peter, there is an unbroken line of succession. Peter passed the keys to Linus, who gave the keys to Cletus and this pattern repeated until Francis passed the keys to Pope Leo XIV in 2025.

Citations: (1)Matthew 16:12-19, (2)Revelation 3:7, (3)Matthew 18:15-20, (4)Acts 15:6-12