Sorry, the head of the church is Christ. The apostles recognized no other head, nor should any other Christian.
"But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed." Galatians 2:11
At best, Peter is an Apostle and the steward of the Church. Also, Peter could not even be a priest in the RC Church today, since he was married.
"And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her." Luke 4:38
(Here, Peter is referred to by his given name, Simon. This is the first mention of Peter in Luke. In Luke 5, Simon is also referred to as both Simon and Simon Peter.)
Furthermore, it was not Peter who established churches in Asia Minor, it was Paul. Paul, on his own authority, sent Timothy to preach and set-up elders. No mention of his conferring with Peter to get his blessing.
Quite simply, the elevation of the Roman Primate to Pope would not have occurred if Constantine did not convert to Christianity.
So Jesus’ declaration in Matthew — upon this rock I will build my church — means nothing to you. Well it does to me. Different strokes for different folks. That’s why the Constitution protects religious liberty.
St. Peter was the first Bishop of Rome (which is the title from which pope evolved, as the pope is known as the Bishop of Rome). Thus, Peter was the first pope (the actual word “pope” came later, but the Catholic Church recognizes Peter as the first pope). Jesus referred to Peter as the shepherd of His (Christ’s) Church. The pope is known as the Shepherd of the Church.