Confessional Corner: The Church Is Not a Monarchy (Ap VII 23-50)

The adversaries perhaps require that the Church be defined in the following way. To them, the Church is the supreme outward monarchy of the whole world. In this Church the Roman pontiff's power is unquestioned. No one is allowed to argue against it or criticize it. ... Therefore, the pope must necessarily be lord of the whole world, of all the kingdoms of the world, of all things private and public. (Ap VII 23)