I don't think that this ^ matters much to other Christians. It's more the invention of Papal Supremacy, Papal Infallibility, and the "one, true, church" ideas that offends.
I see and I can respect where you are coming from. I am interested in finding out why you think these three notions are inventions. We believe that papal supremacy, infallibility, and One true Church are all inherent within Jesus granting the 'keys of the kingdom' to Peter, prophesying that this Church will not fail, and making Peter the sheperd of the whole flock (confirm your brethren, tend my sheep, feed my sheep, etc...). Christ, who is the Truth himself, promised to always remain with his Church, and if the truth will always remain, then the person with final say must be guaranteed by God to say the truth when it comes timee to make the final say (through an ecumenical council or in the rare ex-cathedra statements).
If they are inventions, rather than legitimate developments within a blossoming Church that is growing into the fullness of itself and what it is meant to be, when were they invented? Was it during the first 800 years or so of the Church, when Rome rescued the East from error time and time again, and all the Eastern councils DESPERATELY sought papal approval for their councils (even to the point of imprisonment of a pope in one case!) so as to make them universally binding?
Was it invented in the 1st century, when Pope Clement saw fit to make authoritative judgments regarding other Churches disputes?
Was it invented in the 2nd/3rd century, was it was clearly expressed that:
St. Irenaeus "Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say, ] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops.
For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its pre-eminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolical tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exist everywhere. (St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, (3,3,2), 180 A.D.)"
Tertullian:
"I now inquire into your opinion, to see whence you usurp this right for the Church. Do you presume, because the Lord said to Peter, "On this rock I will build my Church, I have given you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19a) or 'whatever you shall have bound or loosed on earth will be bound or loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19b) that the power of binding and loosing has thereby been handed onto you, that is to every church akin to Peter?
What kind of man are you, subverting and changing what was the manifest intent of the Lord when he conferred this personally upon Peter? (Tertullian, On Modesty, 21:9-10, 200 A.D.)"
"St. Cyprian:
The Lord says to Peter: "I say to you," He says, "that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever things you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, they shall be loosed also in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19) And again He says to him after His resurrection: "Feed my sheep." (John 21:17) On him He builds the Church, and to him He gives the command to feed the sheep;
and although He assigns a like power to all the Apostles, yet He founded a single chair, and He established by His own authority a source and intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was; but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one Chair. So too, all are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the Apostles in single-minded accord.
If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can still be confident that he is in the Church? (St. Cyprian, On the Unity of the Catholic Church, 4, 246 A.D.)"
Like all legitimate authorities, it was challenged by some churches, but it was always there. If you want quotes from some Eastern Church fathers regarding the papacy, I will gladly supply them.
-May the peace of Christ be with you.
