Papacy is gift from Jesus

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan's "Herald of Hope" column in the February 16, 2006 Catholic Herald was for yesterday's Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. (Unfortunately, the paper doesn't give a permanent URL for the column until the following Thursday's issue so I don't link to it before then.) Our Archbishop reviews that

A "chair," of course, symbolizes authority.

and

(By the way, the Latin word for chair is sede, which is where we get our phrase, "Holy See.")

and

We Catholics consider the papacy a gift from Jesus, a wonderful way in which Jesus remains with us as shepherd and teacher. We look to the man who sits in the Chair of St. Peter as our Holy Father, as the vicar of Christ on earth, as the universal pastor. His authority is normative, essential, formative for us as Catholics.

Not everyone so considers him, but I do note this from The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware (Bishop Callistos of Diokleia).

... Orthodox believe that among the five Patriarchs a special place belongs to the Pope. The Orthodox Church does not accept the doctrine of Papal authority set forth in the decrees of the Vatican Council of 1870, and taught today in the Roman Catholic Church; but at the same time Orthodoxy does not deny to the Holy and Apostolic See of Rome a primacy of honour, together with the right (under certain conditions) to hear appeals from all parts of Christendom.