Peter?

The early church had a traditional teaching of Mt.16 where St. Peter
confesses that Jesus is the "Christ, the Son of the Living God". When
Jesus confirms this confession and then says,"You are Peter and upon
this rock I will build my church...." he is making a play on words:
Peter (petros; Greek word) means a rock. The church understood the
rock upon which the church is to be built, to be the confession of
the believer that Jesus is the Christ/Messiah of God; the Saviour of
the world. Later, Rome, to claim its prominence over the whole church,
insisted it meant that Peter- the man- was the rock. And then- a further
stretch- they said that whoever was bishop of Rome was "Peter"! The
thing that occurs to me is that the statement sometimes made, to the effect
that when the pope declared himself the head of the whole church- "Vicar
of Christ"- he, in fact, became the first Protestant. He, in essence said,
"I can read the Bible for myself- 'alone'- and come to my own conclusion
as to what it means." That is, of course, the "Protestant Principle"-
the "battle cry" of the Reformation. And, not only that, but instead of
going according to the ancient Tradition of the whole church, he deter-
mined to go by the "Bible Alone". And, as a good Protestant, he went by
HIS interpretation of Mt.16. You don't agree with him?? That's fine, but
that's just your opinion. You really have no way of knowing which one of
you is right; you're both just going "by what the Bible says"! Neither of
you really has any authority outside yourself. So it becomes like children.
"I'm right!" "No, you're not!" "Yes, I am!" "No, you're not!" "Yes, I am!"....
If you would both go back to the ancient Tradition you could resolve that
problem.