SYDNEY’S Robert Haddad delivered five talks at St Paul’s Catholic Church in Mount Lawley earlier this month, as part of the parish mission.
The mission’s title was ‘I Make All Things New’, and included talks on Mary, Pope Francis, the Eucharist, and the need for a new apologetics.
Mr Haddad, who is the head of the New Evangelisation for the Catholic Education Office in Sydney, told those gathered on November 15 that the Pope can legitimately be referred to as the “Prime Minister” of the Church.
He explained how, in the Book of Isaiah, Israel is governed by a king, who gives authority to a Prime Minister. In the New Israel, Mr Haddad said, Christ is the king who gives authority to Peter, the first Pope.
“The Church is a monarchy,” he said.
“Our king is Jesus, our Prime Minister is a man who succeeds St Peter and, of course, that Prime Minister has other ministers, who are the other disciples.”
They work, “not in conflict or contradiction with the Prime Minister, but in union with the Prime Minister”, Mr Haddad said.
The discussion also covered the authority of the Papacy in regards to Church teachings and doctrine.
“There are some people who think Pope Francis is going to change Church teaching on matters of morality,” Mr Haddad said.
“He’s not going to do that. He has no authority to, and he knows it.
“He has the authority to be the guardian of the deposit of the faith, to develop it, not to change it.”
The Sydney layman said the Reformation slogan that Christ is the head of the Church, not the Pope, revealed a false dichotomy.
“That’s putting two against each other that are really together,” he said.
“[The Pope] has been commissioned by Christ, he acts in the name of Christ, with the power and authority of Christ, not in opposition to Christ, but in union with him.”