text: why do some protestants doubt peter was the first pope?   there is nothing outside of the catholic church to state he was a pope.  all evidence shows he visited rome, but he did not stay there, for one thing.  another... and this is a big one.... how is it that priests are not allowed to marry, yet peter, this supposed first pope, was indeed married?????????  seems to me it's contradictory in that alone and knocks out most other "evidence" the church supplies to show he was pope.  that and the fact that the term pope was a pagan title during that time... and usually meant "father"... as in a wise man who guided others on spiritual matters... though never claimed to be infallible.  merely a helper.  a little bit of study into this will show anyone these things.  and it's all historical evidence outside of what the church states as historical.  i have a hard time believing that any church or any other particular group has the truth while everything else in the world shows something different.  not everyone is out to lie when they write about history.