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 . The pope ( papa from πάππας pappas , a child 's word for `` father '' ) , also known as the pontiff , is the Bishop of Rome , and therefore ex officio the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . Saint Peter . The ancient Christian churches all venerate Peter as a major saint and as the founder of the Church of Antioch and the Roman Church , but differ in their attitudes regarding the authority of his present-day successors .