Where in the bible is the office of Pope authorized?

Answer 1

The actual 'office of the pope' is not mentioned in The Bible. The term did not come into general use until the second or third century and was a generic term applied to any bishop or high authority in the Church. By the early sixth century the term generally was applied to the Bishop of Rome but bishops of particularly the eastern churches continued to use the term to describe themselves. In the 11th century Pope Gregory VII issued a declaration that stated that the term 'Pope' was henceforth to apply only to the Bishop of Rome who was considered the leader of the worldwide Church. The term has since been applied to all previous Bishops of Rome.

While the word 'Pope' was not in use early in the Church, the office was established by Christ when he said:
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16: 17-19)
Catholics believe that Peter was at that time established as the first pope, or leader of the new Church. It makes little sense that Our Lord did not intend for the leadership to continue after Peter's death. Without a central leader, the Church would have floundered and fallen into total disarray.