Saint Peter is a saint in the Christian tradition.
Apostolic succession is the method whereby the ministry of the Christian Church is held to be derived from the apostles by a continuous succession , which has usually been associated with a claim that the succession is through a series of bishops . The Church of Antioch was one of the five major churches that composed the Christian Church before the East -- West Schism . Saint Peter . According to Catholic doctrine , the direct papal successor to Saint Peter is the incumbent pope , currently Pope .