Concerning Peter he is not the first pope.
Whether Jesus meant Himself as the rock the Church will be built upon,or Peter,it does not matter,but it could be that He meant Peter,but the Church is not built upon Peter,and that is why it does not matter for the Church is built upon Christ.
There is no other foundation that can be laid but Christ,who is the chief cornerstone,and the head of the Church,so how can the Church be built upon Peter,when it is built upon Christ.
If Christ meant Himself as the rock it is built upon Christ,for all the Church is built upon Christ,and no other,so how can the Church be built upon Peter,if no other foundation can be laid but Christ,and He is the chief cornerstone of the Church,so all the Church would have to be built upon Him.
If Jesus meant Peter it mean this.Paul said that we are all built upon each other,as bricks being laid upon each other,a lively building,so if Peter is the rock that the Church will be built upon it means that Peter is the first one added to the Church,built upon Christ,and then the saints that come after are built upon Peter.
But the whole Church is built upon Christ,but Peter is the first one added to the Church,and all the rest of the saints are built upon Peter.
Christ is the chief cornerstone,and foundation,and then Peter,and then all who came after in that order,building upon each other like a building.
But the Church cannot be built upon Peter,for the Church is built upon Christ,but Peter is the first one added to the Church,so the rest of the Church would be built upon Peter.
I believe that Jesus meant that Peter is the rock that the Church shall be built upon as the first one added to the Church,but no other foundation can be laid but Christ,who is the chief cornerstone,so all the Church is built upon Christ,who is the head of the Church,and King of kings,King of the saints,and the High Priest,where the saints are priests,for Jesus has made the saints kings and priests unto God the Father.
I do not believe that Peter is the first pope,for there is only one person that is solo in our spiritual walk with God,and that is Christ,and all others who would be bishops oversee a certain amount of Churches,but do not oversee them all,for Christ oversees them all.
And also the Bible says we are complete in Christ,so what can the pope do to benefit us if we are complete in Christ,for all we need is in Him.
The pope would only be a preacher at best,maybe looking after a few Churches,and not the person they make him out to be.
Concerning the positions of the Catholic Church,pope,cardinals,archbishops,and bishops,I can see the appeal of it to be given an honorary title,and position,that would be to the liking of many people,like the Pharisees that liked the praises of men more than the praises of God,and to be seen of men that they would look at them as something special because they claimed to be with God,but that is of the flesh.
Peter was not a pope,nor does the Bible say he was,nor does the Bible say God gave us a pope.
Gal 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
Gal 2:14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
Paul told Peter to his face that he did not walk uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel,and is Paul a pope,or above a pope,and who is Paul to be up in Peter the pope's face,and tell him what is up,and that he did not walk uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel,and should not Peter the pope not have fallen to such disgrace that Paul who is beneath him had to tell him that he was in error according to the truth of the Gospel,and how could Peter the pope fall to such disgrace that Paul had to correct him,that said that he is less than the least of the saints.
Peter are you going to take that from Paul getting all up in your face,and telling you that you are in error according to the truth of the Gospel,from such a low life as Paul who said he is less than the least of the saints.Yes you are going to take it Peter because you are not a pope.
But despite Peter being in error he is saved,for at the New Jerusalem,the final destination of the saints,the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb are written in the 12 foundations of the city,and his name would not be written in that holy place unless he were saved.