I Gotta Get One Of These!

Why do Catholics get so excited about the pope? (regardless of who he is at the time)

Why do they post blogs about papal Christmas ornaments? (Check this out.)

Because the office of the papacy represents the unity of the Church Jesus started and points us to the reality of apostolic succession and ultimately is a sign to the world that Jesus word's to Peter are still being fulfilled 2000 years later! "Thou art Cephas (rock) and upon this rock..."

Here's what Karl Adams said about this in his Spirit of Catholicism:

In the light of this faith our Lord's words to Peter: "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church," become at once promise and fulfillment. Has not history taught us, and are we not seeing every day, that it was, and is, and will be this one rock which supports the Church of Christ, and with that Church a living faith in the Incarnation of the Son of God? There is a sacred and profound significance in the fact that Simon's appointment to be the rock of the Church was preceded by his confession: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." For faith in Christ, the Church and Peter: these three things belong together. Where there is no Peter, where men have broken faith with him, there the fellowship of the faith perishes and along with it belief in Jesus Christ. Where there is no rock, there there is no Church, there there is no Christ.

And where Peter is, there of a truth the gates of hell rage against the fellowship of the faith. There Marcion comes, and Arius, and the renaissance and rationalism, and the gospel of worldly culture. But still we abide in the Upper Room, gathered round our Lord and Master. Where Peter is, there is Christ.