IZIGIDI zamaKatolika emhlabeni wonke zibheka lokho okwanqunywa uMkhandlu wokuqala waseVatican njengemfundiso yesonto engashintshi okumelwe ithotshelwe nakanjani. Nokho, nayi imibuzo okumelwe ibuzwe: Ingabe le mfundiso isekelwe eBhayibhelini? Ingabe uPapa Francis usesikhundleni somphostoli uPetru ngempela? Ingabe uPetru wayengupapa wokuqala?

Isinqumo esathathwa uMkhandlu waseVatican ngo-1870 ngokuyinhloko sasisekelwe endleleni uMkhandlu owawuqonda ngayo uMathewu 16:16-19 noJohane 21:15-17. Izingxoxo eziphakathi kukaJesu noPetru esizithola kula mavesi nakokunye ukulandisa kweBhayibheli, zibonisa ukuthi uPetru wayenendima ebalulekile emlandweni wobuKristu bokuqala. Empeleni, lapho behlangana okokuqala, uJesu wabikezela ukuthi uPetru wayeyobonisa izimfanelo ezifana nedwala ekuphileni kwakhe. (Johane 1:42) Ingabe uKristu wabeka uPetru njengopapa?

KuMathewu 16:17, 18 sifunda la mazwi uJesu awasho kuPetru: “Mina-ke ngithi kuwe: Wena unguPetru [ogama lakhe lisho ukuthi “Iqhuzu Ledwala”]; phezu kwaleli dwala ngiyakulakha ibandla lami.” * Ingabe uJesu wayesho ukuthi isonto noma ibandla lakhe laliyokwakhiwa phezu kukaPetru, umuntu? Ingabe uPetru wayezoba umholi wabo bonke abalandeli bakaJesu? Abanye abaphostoli ababelapho ngesikhathi kuxoxwa, bawaqonda kanjani amazwi kaJesu? AmaVangeli embula ukuthi ngemva kwaleyo ngxoxo, abafundi baphikisana izikhathi eziningana ngokuthi ubani omkhulu phakathi kwabo. (Mathewu 20:20-27; Marku 9:33-35; Luka 22:24-26) Uma kuwukuthi uJesu wayesemise uPetru njengopapa, abaphostoli babengazibuza yini ukuthi ubani omkhulu phakathi kwabo?

 UPetru wawaqonda kanjani amazwi kaJesu? Njengoba ayengumIsrayeli, kumelwe ukuba uPetru wayejwanelene neziprofetho zesiHebheru ezihlukahlukene ezikhuluma ‘ngetshe’ noma “itshe legumbi.” (Isaya 8:13, 14; 28:16; Zakariya 3:9) Lapho ecaphuna esinye salezi ziprofetho encwadini ayeyibhalele amanye amakholwa, uPetru wachaza ukuthi “itshe legumbi” elabikezelwa kwakuyiNkosi uJesu Kristu, uMesiya. UPetru wasebenzisa igama lesiGreki elithi pe’tra kuKristu kuphela (okuyigama eliphinde livele kulokho okwashiwo uJesu kuMathewu 16:18).—1 Petru 2:4-8.

Umphostoli uPawulu wayengomunye umlandeli othembekile kaJesu. Ingabe uPawulu wayekholelwa ukuthi uJesu ubeke uPetru njengoPapa? Eqaphela indima yakhe ebandleni lobuKristu ngekhulu lokuqala, uPawulu wabhala ukuthi uPetru wayephakathi kwalabo “ababebonakala beyizinsika.” UPawulu waqaphela ukuthi kwakunezinsika eziningi. (Galathiya 2:9 INguqulo YeZwe Elisha) Ngaphezu kwalokho, uma uPetru ayemiswe uJesu njengomholi noma inhloko yebandla, kungenzeka kanjani ukuba amakholwa akanye naye ambale phakathi kwalabo ababebonakala beyizinsika noma labo okwakucatshangwa ukuthi bayizinsika?

Lapho ebhala ngendlela eguquguqukayo uPetru ayephatha ngayo abantu, uPawulu washo la mazwi: “Ngamelana naye ubuso nobuso‚ ngokuba wayenecala.” (Galathiya 2:11-14) UPawulu wangecabangi ukuthi uKristu wayakhe isonto lakhe noma ibandla, phezu kukaPetru noma omunye umuntu ongaphelele. Ngokuphambene nalokho, wayekholelwa ukuthi isisekelo sebandla kwakunguJesu Kristu. UPawulu wayazi ukuthi ‘idwala lalinguKristu.’—1 Korinte 3:9-11; 10:4.

Singawaqonda kanjani amazwi athi: “Wena unguPetru; phezu kwaleli dwala ngiyakulakha ibandla lami”? Ukuze siwaqonde ngendlela efanele la mazwi, kudingeka sithole umongo wendaba. UJesu noPetru babekhuluma ngani? UJesu wayesanda kubuza  abafundi bakhe: “Nina-ke nithi ngingubani na?” Ngaphandle kokungabaza uPetru waphendula: “Wena unguKristu‚ iNdodana kaNkulunkulu ophilayo.” UJesu wabe esencoma uPetru, wathi ibandla lakhe uyolakha phezu kwedwala eliqine nakakhulu, leli uPetru ayesanda kubonisa ukholo kulo—uJesu.—Mathewu 16:15-18.

Ngokuvumelana nalokhu, “oBaba Besonto” babhala ukuthi idwala okukhulunywa ngalo kuMathewu 16:18 uKristu. Ngokwesibonelo, ngekhulu lesihlanu leminyaka u-Augustine wabhala: “INkosi yathi: ‘Ngizokwakha iSonto lami kuleli dwala,’ ngoba uPetru wamtshela ukuthi: ‘UnguKristu iNdodana kaNkulunkulu ophilayo.’ Yingakho uthe kuleli dwala ngizokwakha iSonto lami.” U-Augustine washo ngokuphindaphindiwe ukuthi “iDwala (Petra) kwakunguKristu.”

U-Augustine nabanye babeyobhekwa njengezihlubuki uma kulandelwa imfundiso yanamuhla yamaKatolika. Empeleni, ngokwesazi senkolo saseSwitzerland u-Ulrich Luz, uMkhandlu waseVatican wango-1870 ubungeke uwamukele umbono wezazi zenkolo zanamuhla kule ndaba ngoba uyiphutha.

Umphostoli uPetru wayengasazi isiqu esithi “papa.” Empeleni kwaze kwaba ikhulu lesi-9 leminyaka ababhishobhi abaningi abangewona amaRoma bezibiza ngalesi siqu. Noma kunjalo, kwakungavamile ukuba leli gama lisetshenziswe njengesiqu esisemthethweni kwaze kwaba ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-11 leminyaka. Ngaphezu kwalokho, akekho kumaKristu okuqala owayecabanga ukuthi ubunhloko bebandla okuthiwa babunikezwe uPetru babudluliselwe komunye umuntu. Yingakho isazi saseJalimane uMartin Hengel saphetha ngokuthi “abukho ubufakazi obungokomlando nobungokwenkolo obubonisa indlela okwasungulwa ngayo isikhundla ‘sobupapa.’”

Ekuphetheni: Ingabe uPetru wayengupapa wokuqala? Ingabe kukhona ababa opapa ngemva kwakhe? Ingabe imfundiso yamaKatolika yesikhundla sobupapa isekelwe eBhayibhelini? Ukuphela kwempendulo elula yayo yonke le mibuzo, ucha. Iqiniso esisala nalo ukuthi ngokuqinisekile uJesu walakha isonto lakhe, ibandla lakhe leqiniso, kuye ngokwakhe. (Efesu 2:20) Umbuzo okufanele ngamunye wethu azibuze wona uthi, Ingabe ngilitholile ibandla leqiniso?