教会の頭はキリスト
教会の頭はキリストであって教皇ではないという話
Sometimes we speak loosely about the “head of the Church.” Most of the time that’s tolerable, since we are speaking somewhat casually. Very often people say that “the Pope is the head of the Church.” No. Christ is the head of the Church. The Pope, Successor of Peter, is Christ’s Vicar on earth. Vicar is from the Latin vicarius, “a substitute, deputy, proxy, a locum tenens.” The Successor of Peter is the visible, substitute “head” of the earthly Church. He is the visible figure of unity, one of the Church’s marks or attributes along with holiness, catholicity and apostolicity. The Petrine (having to do with Peter) ministry of the figure whom we call the “Pope” (papacy is an institution that over time developed around the office of the Bishop of Rome, Peter’s Successor) is a constitutive element of the Church that solidifies Christ’s gifts to the Church of indefectibility and infallibility.
Ultimately, however, the Pope is not the “head of the Church.” The head of the Church is Christ.
（Fr.Z's Blog:「ONE PETER 5」の投稿より）
そう、私はよく勘違いしますが、この「教皇様は教会の頭」も勘違いしていました。確かに教会の頭は教皇様ではなくキリストです。聖ペトロの後継者である教皇様は地上の教会の目に見えるキリストの代理者であって頭ですが、あくまでも教会の頭はキリストです。
こう考えると納得できることが多々あります。イライラすることもなくすっきりしました。