[AzaleaCity5691]

So, a succession of popes beginning with Peter and continuting down the line to Benedict XVI is not proof.

[WFBFan]

"So, a succession of popes beginning with Peter and continuting down the line to Benedict XVI is not proof."

The only evidence that Peter was the first Pope is Catholic tradition, not history or scripture. When did Peter himself claim he was a "pope"? He claimed no primacy for himself. In fact, at the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15, it was not Peter who led the meeting (although he was there).

What's more, the "Church" referred to in the New Testament did not refer to a specific hierarchy, but the the entire body of believers. What matters is our relationship with Christ and our belief in him. There is no temporal intercessor required.