In New Testament times, the word "father" was regularly used as an endearing honorary title for Church officials. Paul confirms that God is our adoptive Father (Ro. 8:15; Ga. 4:6), but also calls himself the father of his flock of the faithful (e.g., 1 Co. 4:15-17, Gal. 4:19, 1 Thes. 2:7, 11, and 2 Cor. 6:13,). Therefore, Paul was truly a spiritual father to his congregations.  

The honorary title of "father" was also applied to the elders in the Church. Paul, for example, instructs Bishop Timothy to exhort the elders (presbyters) as "fathers" (1 Tim. 5:1). Recall that the Catholic priest is a descendent of the New Testament office of elder, or presbyter, and so this text upholds the Catholic Church's use of the term "father".

John, in his first Epistle, directly addresses the elders of the Church as "fathers" (1 John 2:13-14), just as Paul instructed Timothy to do. But recall that John was himself one of the 12 apostles, who heard the discourse in Matt. 23:9, and yet here he refers to elders in the Church as "fathers".

2.  Do Catholics reject the "priesthood of believers" by having Priests?

No. The New Testament uses the Greek word 'hiereus' to refer to the Old Testament office of "priest" (e.g., Heb. 10:11), and 'presbyteros' to refer to the New Testament office of "elder" (1 Pet. 5:1). The Church traces the Christian office of "priest" not to the temple priesthood ('hierateia') of the Old Testament, but rather to the New Testament presbyteriate ('presbyterion'). This is shown by the etymology of the English word 'priest', which comes from the Greek 'presbyteros' and from the Latin 'presbyter' and from the Old English 'preost' and from the Middle English 'preist'. 

Often quoted is 1 Peter 2:5, 9 as evidence of the Christian priesthood. However, the original Greek text of the Bible for this verse discusses the 'hierateuma hagion' and the 'basileion hierateuma' which makes reference to the old temple priesthood ('hierateia'). This passage has nothing whatsoever to do with the Christian priesthood ('presbyterion') of the New Covenant.

3.  There is only one Mediator between us and God - Jesus Christ - so isn't confession to a priest unnecessary?

 

No.  Jesus Christ, of course, has the power to forgive sins, for He told us quite explicitly: "the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" (Mark 2:10). The forgiveness of sins necessarily lies at the very heart of God's plan of Salvation. However, Jesus passed this power on to the apostles and elders of the Church. John 20:21-23 says, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Then he breathed on them and said: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.'" It is here where Jesus established what the Catholic Church now calls the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

There are other passages in Scripture where Jesus establishes the judgment of sinners, and the binding and loosing of their sins, by the Church. Matthew 18:17-18 says, "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven". Jesus further compares the Church's ministry of binding and loosing, of remitting and retaining sins, to possessing the very key to heaven (Mat. 16:19).

By way of example, Paul on several occasions wrote of his judgment of especially egregious sinners, saying that he had handed them over to Satan (1 Cor. 5:3; 1 Tim. 1:18). So too, we find that John urges us in the clearest of terms that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 19). But lest we think that some private, inner or mental confession is what Jesus intended for Christians so that our sins might be forgiven, James reminds us to "confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16).

I personally think there are some distinct advantages with confession of one's sins to a Catholic Priest over a confessing directly to God. First, by confessing to a Catholic Priest one must humble themselves, thus learning an important lesson and receiving motivation to not sin again. It's very easy to pray by yourself and escape embarassment! Second, a Catholic receives sacramental graces that a non-Catholic will not receive, for in the Sacrament of Reconciliation not only are sins forgiven but graces are also obtained. Third, one knows "for sure" that his sins are forgiven when receiving absolution from the Priest. Private prayer many times relies on subjective feelings which may or may not be correct. In contrast to private prayer, confession to a Priest offers one the opportunity to receive sound advice about the issues of concern.


4. Is the use of relics, statues, and medals of the Saints "ok" according to Scripture?

Yes. In fact, the Bible records that a number of miraculous healings occurred when people came into contact with the relics of the holy men and women of God. For example, the Bible tells us that a dead man was restored to life when his body accidentally came into contact with the bones of Elisha:

"So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders, and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet" (2 Kings 13:21).

Such miraculous cures in association with the relics of the saints continued even into the age of the New Testament Church. We are familiar with the instances in which a woman was cured when she touched the garment of Jesus (Mat. 9:20-22), and of the multitude of sick people who waited in the streets, hopeful that at least the shadow of Peter might fall on them as he passed (Acts 5:15). But the Catholic respect for the relics of the saints is prefigured in the fact that God chose to work great deeds through even the relics of St. Paul:

"Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them" (Acts 19:11-12).

Catholics take great comfort, as should all Christians, that God has not ceased to work great deeds and unusual miracles through the relics of His saints. Lourdes and countless other shrines stand witness to the continued working of miracles among the people of God.

As for the use of statues, medals, etc., these materials are in no way worshipped by Catholics. They are simply REMINDERS to us of the Saints who serve as role-models, if you will, for living a virtuous life. No "magic powers" arise from such materials, as some believe happens with things like rabbits feet, crystals, and so forth. Statues and medals are no different than a Christian having photographs of loved-ones around the home. Obviously, Christians are not going to worship such photos, as they are simply reminders of our love and affection for family and friends.