Where is the word "Catholic" in this verse??? Where is the word: "Rome" or "Roman" or "Roman Catholic"??? It takes a vivid and unlearned imagination that defies logic and history to continue to quote this verse as if it is the foundation of the RCC especially when even Catholic scholars admit that there is no evidence for Peter's mythical sojourn to Rome.
Source? Are these "progressive" Catholic scholars?
The earliest occurrence of the term is in a letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch, written 20 years after the last book of the New Testament. But the idea that the Church is "catholic" pops up everywhere in the gospels and epistles. The Greek word "catholic" comes from the word for "wholeness" or "fullness." The "catholic" church is not just a regional sect for an exclusive little group. Rather it must include the whole family of God over the whole world, welcoming all, from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev 7:9). In addition, the "catholic" church cannot pick and choose which doctrines are trendy and convenient, but must be faithful to the whole truth. Paul points out that the essence of his apostolic call was to be a "catholic" teacher: "I became a minister of this church through the commission God gave me to preach among you his word in its fullness . . . we admonish all men and teach them in the full measure of wisdom, hoping to make every man complete in Christ" (Col 1:25, 28, NAB).