The evolution of the centralized hierarchy with all power focused through it has led to most of the heresies we see in Christianity today. The worship of Mary, the control of God's grace through men, the belief you can take the good works of one person and impute then to another, the belief that individuals must work their way to salvation are just some of these heresies. Really what we are seeing is the self perpetuation of an institution.
The Biblical model of governance was always a decentralized, congregational approach. The Jerusalem Council is a perfect example of this. In this case the ultimate decision was arrived at by the members of the church, not one autocrat.
The advantage of that is that even if a group does go off kilter, it doesn't take the whole body with it.
Having a centralized, congregational approach means that if the leadership goes off kilter, it takes the entire organization with it, except for those with eyes to see who get out, and are then labeled heretics.
Catholics worship God, we honor Mary as the mother of Christ (God), and didn't James mention in one of his epistles something about faith, without corresponding works is empty and meaningless???