Marco Rubio on the Papacy and Catholic Faith

Understanding the Papacy

• 💡 As a practicing Roman Catholic, Marco Rubio believes the Pope is a successor of Peter, appointed through apostolic succession and divine intervention.
• 📌 He highlights the Catholic Church as the only institution from 2,000 years ago that still exists today, attributing its survival to its strength and validity.
• 🔑 Rubio emphasizes his belief that the Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, inherits the power given to Peter by Jesus, which has been passed down through generations.

The Pope as a Spiritual Leader

• 🎯 Rubio states he does not view the Pope as a political leader, but rather as a spiritual one, even though the papacy may have political opinions.
• 💬 He mentions that the church's social teachings have informed his own actions and statements in politics, citing a 2018 speech based on an encyclical by Pope Leo.
• ✅ Rubio reiterates that he views the papacy as a spiritual office, not a political one, and has faith in the system despite the existence of both good and bad popes throughout history.