Starting with St. Peter, there
is an unbroken succession of Popes. Though they are not all models of good behavior, none has taught anything that is untrue. The role of the Pope is to instruct
Catholics in faith and morals. He is not a god but more of a teacher and our "Holy Father." That in no way means that his role supercedes God.
Catholics do not believe that the Pope is impeccable (unable
to sin), nor do we believe that he is supernatural or someone to be worshipped.
Instead, he is the very human man who is the visible head of the Church on earth. The
Trinitarian God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is the only One who should be
worshipped.
To outsiders, it might appear that Catholics worship the
Pope, or Mary or even crucifixes. However, we just regard the holiness in each
of these people and things. In other words, we see Jesus in them, so they
deserve our respect and love.
In the case of the Pope, we know that God gave us the gift of the papacy so that we would have a perfectly reliable voice that can lead the Church on earth. The Holy Spirit leads the Pope, and therefore the Pope is our teacher and father, but he should never be considered an object of worship.
