The Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth. He has been given the authority by Jesus; “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19. In this verse, Jesus is speaking directly to the apostle Peter. In otherwords the Pope can interpret the Bible anyway he feels like interpreting it. And it’s also a Catholic document. No protestants had a hand in compiling it. But they sure love to criticize the people that did.
The above statement has never been true; it still isn't.